Living Life in Soul Society
by Molebeam
Summary: What happens when you take a Plain Jane from the Soul Reaper Academy and toss her into the dynamics of the Gotei 13? This story, that's what. It's almost like a memoire. Just with less serious and more BS.
1. Introduction

**Living Life in Soul Society**

**Chapter 1 – Introduction**

It's not easy being a Soul Reaper. Most people tend to think that being a Soul Reaper is all about wielding a Zanpakuto and vanquishing Hollows all the time while looking awesome, destroying private property, and looking _awesome. _

But take it from me, a fresh recruit straight from the Academy, 90% of us black-robed Death Gods have the most boring lives ever. Hell, it's considered exciting just to run an errand for a Lieutenant.

This is the story of my first year as an official Soul Reaper of Squad 8. My name is Masami Kichida, of average height, average weight, average looks…I'm nothing special. And seeing as how I'll probably remain completely invisible forever, I guess it won't hurt to keep track of my own personal opinions, right?

Right?

You know, screw it. As of now, it's holds no barred, and no one in this place is safe from my opinionated wrath. May the Soul King have mercy upon me.

* * *

><p><strong>Seeing as how I've just finished up another story just like this (Living Life in Hueco Mundo), I decided I might give another story a try. It's not easy writing as a different character, but I'll try my best. It'll get better, trust me. That's what plot progression is for. <strong>

**Reviews with ideas and suggestions are very welcome and encouraged :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Office Relations

**Chapter 2 – Office Relations**

_May 3rd – Year one_

I've been here three weeks as of today, and have yet to be impressed with anything Soul Reaper-y. I'm beginning to realize that they don't tell you a_nything _about your future career in the Academy. Not a thing. Here are a few tidbits I sure as hell wasn't expecting:

1. The little ones (me) are always trampled like a cheap piece of sod. The only way to garner respect anywhere is to become a seated officer, which is by no means easy. _Especially _not when there are dozens of other graduates and low-lives all vying for a spot.

2. Don't be late to breakfast. These fat, greedy bastards will devour anyone's food if it's left unguarded for even a second. Day two, I learned this the hard way; I woke up just seven minutes late, and by the time I had quite literally jumped into my hakama and rushed into the mess hall like a 5-foot-tall bat out of Hell, all the food had been claimed and the cooks had vanished. Poor little me was left standing at the door like a complete idiot while my 'comrades' stuffed their faces with what was supposed to be _my _food too.

3. Do not ask your ass-headed superiors any questions, ever. I have learned that a good number of these idiots talk as if they have a fist in their mouth, and it's hard to understand them. That doesn't mean that you should ask them to repeat themselves. Actually, you should avoid doing it at all costs. Really, I'm being serious here. Otherwise, you get rude answers that make you want to say no-no things in retaliation.

"Up yours, you Hollow's ass" is one of those no-no things you'd be better off _not_ saying. And let me add that broom closets are not the most ideal place to spend the night.

Do you know what else they don't tell you before you join up with the 13 Court Guard Squads?

Oh, just that your captain is an alcoholic moron with the motives of a desperate teenage boy. I'm talking, of course, about Captain Shunsui Kyoraku.

Kyoraku-taicho is, in fact, the older second cousin to my mother, which helps to explain why I was placed in his squad upon my graduation. I remember thinking, "Oh, he's family, so he won't be so bad."

I was very wrong. Momma neglected to tell me that my "uncle" was a womanizing slacker with an apparent love of all things flashy. He dresses in pink, he naps a lot, and he pats me on the head in a very, _very _unsettling way. Recently, I've drawn the line at "Niece-chan", because if there is one thing I can't handle very well at all, it's pet names. I'll have to remember to write my mother a loving note one of these evenings.

His lieutenant, on the other hand, I rather like. Nanao Ise is a person I can easily get along with. She's the complete opposite of her lazy-assed captain. She's straightforward, oriented, meticulous, and in control. Damn it, if I didn't know any better, I'd say _she _was running the 8th Division instead of Cap-tard Kyoraku. See what I did there?

I'm beginning to wonder if it's too late to transfer to a different company…

* * *

><p><strong>I think, instead of just a series of scattered one-shots, this is going to be like a little diary. Though I don't think it'll be as light-hearted and amusing as I intended. I'm predicting a bit more serious-ness with this, sadly.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Inarguable

**I really didn't mean to procrastinate as much as I did...my apologies, I'll put the next chapter up within a couple of days.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Inarguable<strong>

_May 24 – Year one_

Time goes by so much quicker once you've fallen into a routine. The last three weeks have flown by like a falcon and honestly, I don't remember most of it because of all the time-consuming work that seems to be taking over my life at the moment. I've recently been appointed to the 10th seat of Squad 8 (_"You're going to have to work your way from the bottom up, little Niece-chan"), _which accounts for ridiculous amount of hours I've been putting in. And if _that _isn't enough, I have a dozen lazy superiors who continue to dump the difficult work they don't want to do onto me; because _10__th__ Seat Kichida is nice enough to do it for them._

Sometimes I really hate my squad-mates.

But on the upside, all the extra work I have been doing has given me a chance to better interact with the Cap-tard and Lieutenant Ise; the latter especially. And it's days like today that I look forward to the most.

As usual, my morning was hectic. I was forced to juggle beating the breakfast rush with finishing up an important write-up due that same day. And of course, because I'm never allowed to catch a break, mid-way through my trip to deliver my finished documents, I realized I had forgotten my Zanpakuto in my room. By the time I'd run from one side of the barracks to the other and back, I was 10 minutes late for the drop-off time designated by Lieutenant Ise.

The door to her office was closed when I arrived, and I sensed a terrible, foreboding presence on the other side. Balancing the massive stack of files on one arm, I knocked tentatively and prayed that she wasn't angry with me.

The door swung open within seconds, and my orderly superior stepped into view, a large book balanced comfortably against her hip. Her face bore an expression of slight irritation.

"10th Seat Kichida."

"Yes, ma'am. I, er, have the paperwork."

"You do realize you are more than ten minutes late, don't you?"

I panicked at the tone of her voice. "I'm so sorry, Lieutenant Ise, I was on my way here and I was so close and then I realized I forgot my sword so I had to go back and get it and then it took me a really, really, long time to get back here so then I was late and now you're mad and…please forgive me, ma'am!" The words tumbled out of my mouth in a non-stop burst. With my pulse now leaping violently in my throat, I tried to bow as best I could with a bundle of papers in my arms.

The Lieutenant gave an almost fatigued sigh. "It's alright. I suppose you couldn't help it. I'll take those." She nodded at the files and held out the arm that held the thick volume. I carefully transferred them from my grasp to the level top of the book. With a swish, she turned on her heel and headed for her desk, pausing briefly only to glance over her shoulder and ask, "You look tired. Come take a seat."

It was more of a command than a casual question, but I complied with hasty obedience, sitting down upon the small, plain couch off to the right. Lieutenant Ise set the stack and her book on the desk with a loud _thunk _and pushed her glasses farther up her nose. They glinted intimidatingly in the light.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, Lieutenant, please don't bother yourself with that…"

"Kichida, I assure you, it's no trouble. Now, would you like some tea?" Those glasses glinted again and I'm pretty sure I went pale.

"….Yes, Lieutenant Ise, I would enjoy some tea. Thank you very much for your kindness." I sat up a little straighter in my spot on the very edge of the couch cushion. I felt like my posture was idiotic, but I wasn't about to risk looking like an undignified country bumpkin in the presence of the immaculate Nanao Ise.

The tea was ready in just a few minutes and was brought to the small table before the couch on a brown ceramic tray. I thanked Lieutenant Ise again as I took one of the pale green teacups and sipped lightly. The tea was surprisingly strong, but delicious. I was half-tempted to gulp down the rest of it, but held my composure.

Over the rim of her cup, I saw my lieutenant narrow her eyes.

"Kichida. Why are you so tense? You're hardly sitting on the couch at all. I won't smack you on the wrist for relaxing, I assure you."

Oh. Well, now I felt stupid. "Er, you're right, ma'am. My apologies." I forced myself to ease up a little bit. We sipped our drinks in silence after that. I glanced around the room, trying to find something with which I could spark a conversation. By luck, my wandering gaze fell upon a towering bookshelf, packed to the edges with a varying assortment of books; from thick, to thin, to short, to tall, and everything in between.

"You have a lot of books."

She cast a cool glance over to the shelf and smiled faintly. "Ah, yes. i've been collecting for a few decades now. Do you like to read?"

For some reason, I couldn't seem to look away from the shelf. "Sure, but who has the time? I'm so preoccupied with work."

She gave me a quizzical look. "You've only just been appointed to a seated position, how could you be that busy?"

Uh-oh. I had some serious explaining to do. "Uh, well, um, I help out the others a lot, so-"

"They're forcing their duties onto you, aren't they." What was probably meant as a question came out as an inarguable statement.

"Umm…Yes." I answered weakly, wringing my hands in my lap anxiously.

Just then, the door to the office was throw open, and in stumbled our clearly inebriated captain, red-faced and grinning as he swayed from side to side. His flowery pink kimono was wrinkled and dirty, and it was apparent that he'd fallen more than a few times on his way here.

"Aaah, would you look at this? My little Nanao-chan and my even littler niece Masami-chan, playing nice together! Who woulda thought, eh, Nanao? You always _hate _company."

"Only when that company is _you_, captain…" she mumbled darkly under her breath. To my discomfort, Kyoraku-taicho drunkenly crossed the room and placed a heavy, sweaty hand on my head from behind the couch. He mussed my dark hair, laughing heartily.

"You know, I spoke to your mother just the other day, Masami-chan. She said she's worried that you haven't been keeping in touch with her. Come now, my precious baby niece, be nice to your mother. That's a _captain's _order!"

"What kind of captain are _you?_" I grumbled, ducking out from under the weight of his hand, smoothing down the strands of hair he had displaced.

Lieutenant Ise stood stiffly, pushing up her glasses with a malicious glare. She held out a hand, muttered a short incantation, and with a brief flash of violet light, the unsteady captain tumbled to the ground like a puppet with cut strings. Out of obligation more than concern, I jumped to my feet and peered over the back of the furniture to check if he was alright.

The intoxicated old fool was napping contentedly.

"Don't worry. He's alright, unfortunately. I used a simple kido spell to knock him out for a while. This way he can't cause trouble."

"Where did you _learn _that?" I asked, awestruck. I'd never seen nor heard of a spell like that.

She strode to the bookcase, summoning me to follow with a crook of her finger. Tagging faithfully along, I watched carefully as she tugged a medium-width text off a low shelf and brushed a thin layer of dust from its faded red cover. On the well-worn leather I could see the word "kido spells" etched in black. She handed it to me with an almost friendly expression.

"Here. You may borrow it if you make sure to bring it back in this very same condition."

I was unable to keep my jaw from dropping. "Are you serious, Lieutenant?"

She nodded. "Study up on these spells. They aren't taught in the academy, but they're incredibly practical."

My thanks were seemingly non-ending as I backed out the door, book held tight against my chest. "I promise you, I'll bring it back without so much as a _scratch._ And I'll have my paperwork in on time tomorrow, too."

She gave another curt nod as she stood by the snoring body of my pseudo-uncle.

Just before I was completely out the door, she called out, "And Kichida? If you ever find yourself with some free time, you're welcome to stop by. I'll let you borrow another book."

I gave her a deep bow of gratitude and scurried off down the hall…because I didn't want her to see the rosy tint and wide smile of joy on my face.


	4. Chapter 4: One Thousand

**Ch. 4 – One Thousand**

_June 11 – Year One_

"Masami. I have a task for you."

Today, like any other day, was spent working long hours with little rest. At present, I was idly sweeping the flagstones of the barrack's courtyard while my companion, a girl several years my senior by the name of Katsumi, watered the garden. But I stopped my chore at my captain's words; his tone had been relatively serious and sounded quite important.

"Yes, Captar-…Captain?"

"Would it be too much for you to accompany me to my office? You're excused for your duties today."

"Alright, sir…" I leaned the broom in my hands up against a stone lantern. Katsumi shot me a questioning look and I responded with a slight shrug and an apologetic wave as I paced after my retreating captain.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Ise was waiting for us in the office, her arms held neatly at her side with a faint look of frustration. Captain Kyoraku greeted her in his typical fashion as he stepped in the door.<p>

"Aah, Nanao-chan. You beat us here." He stepped aside, allowing me to stand at his left. I offered up a meek wave, figuring things between us were reasonably friendly.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant."

She nodded at both of us. "Captain. 10th Seat Kichida."

Captain Kyoraku was the first to break the awkward silence that had settled down between the three of us.

"So, Masami-chan, you're probably wondering why you're here, aren't you?"

"Er, yes, sir."

The edges of his floral robe billowed out as he walked over to the disk in front of which his lieutenant was standing. With an expression of semi-intense skepticism, she handed him a manila file folder; he thanked her with a smile.

"Masami-chan, _this…_" he punctuated, waving the folder in the air. "…is a very important document. Letting it fall into the wrong hands would mean pandemonium for the Soul Society and its inhabitants. _Your _job, my little niece, is to deliver this folder, without a single bend, mark, or scratch, to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth Division, and _only _to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Can I trust you to complete this task without a problem?"

I stared first at the man, and then at the file in awe. From beneath his _sakkat, _his characteristically lighthearted and jovial face was darkened with a mask of seriousness. Behind him, Lieutenant Ise clenched her fists and spoke up.

"Captain, I strongly object to sending Kichida on an assignment of this caliber."

"Don't worry, Nanao, we can trust her with this-"

"And if something was to happen and the document was jeopardized? _Then_ what, dare I ask, would happen?"

The captain was silent for a moment. "Nanao, I'm sure of this; Masami won't fail us. She is reliable." He strode over and handed me the small parcel. "You won't let us down, will you, little niece?" he murmured with an encouraging smile on his face.

I shook my head and swallowed. "Yes, sir, I mean, n-no, sir. I'll protect this folder with my life, sir, I promise."

He gave me a pat on the head, then ushered me out the door. "That's a good girl. Now, no time to waste; Captain Kuchiki isn't fond of waiting!"

I was pushed out and the door was shut after me before I even knew what had just happened. I was left with a file in my hands, one insanely risky objective and a lot more questions than my captain had answered.

Like, _who was Captain Kuchiki, and where in the hell were the Sixth Division's barracks?_

I was tempted to continue standing there by the door, looking like a dope for a while longer as I attempted to sort out the confusion I now found myself in, but I remembered Kyoraku's words, and took off.

_Captain Kuchiki isn't fond of waiting!_

Ohhh, boy.

* * *

><p>I'd learned from Katsumi (still in the courtyard completing my abandoned chores, bless her dear heart) that the place I was looking for was just shy of a kilometer to the East. I also had a general idea of what the man in question looked like:<p>

"_He's one of those haughty noble types, y'know? Kinda tall, long black hair like a princess, a pale scarf, and some thingies in his hair. Oh, and he's really handsome, too. Try not to get distracted, okay? Good luck, Ma-chan!"_

So I was on the lookout for an incredibly attractive stuck-up noble captain with princess hair and a scarf in the midst of summer. He didn't sound too difficult to find, but then again, the Soul Society was a _really _big place to look through, if he wasn't in his office.

I gave a short sigh and ducked around another corner. A whopping twenty minutes after I'd left the front gate of the Eighth Division….and I'd managed to make it thirty meters. It isn't my fault, of course. _I'm _trying to be careful here; if this folder gets so much as one tiny scratch, the captain, no, Lieutenant Ise will have my head. And presumably, Captain Kuchiki will then spit on my dismembered corpse while Captain Kyoraku looks on, shaking his head in disappointment while muttering, "For shame, Masami, for shame…"

I smacked my head against the wall I was pressed up against. Brain, stop being stupid. You can do this. Besides, it's only one little file folder, how hard can it be?

As it turns out, very.

From the second I set foot outside the front gates of my barracks, I had inadvertently turned into a 4-foot-8 high-strung and paranoid monster with a file full of highly classified papers shoved into the front of my uniform. Each time I ran into a fellow Soul Reaper, I had a mini-heart attack and yelped, using _shunpo _to GTFO as fast as I could.

Almost two hours later, I was just outside of the Sixth Division. I rounded my last corner, and wouldn't you know it, I smacked into Hanataro Yamada of the Fourth Division. The exchange went something like this:

Hanataro: Ack! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-

Me: AAAHHHH!

Hanataro: AAH!

Me: (_gone)_

Poor guy. I feel sort of bad for screaming. But, I thought he was an enemy; it was warranted.

I hadn't realized how late it had become until I took a look at the sky and noticed it had turned a shade of fiery orange, with lavender clouds streaking through like tiger's stripes.

_Oh, no, don't tell me I've spent a whole day just _getting _here!_

I high-tailed it to the front gate, in front of which two uniformed Soul Reapers were standing guard.

"Excuse me!"

The bigger guard stared down his nose at me. "What do _you _want?" His tone was filled with disgust.

"I'm, um, here to deliver an important document to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth Division. Is he in at the moment?"

"Our _captain _doesn't have the time to waste dealing with such small fry. Go home; you are not welcome here."

"But…" I pleaded desperately, clutching the file tightly to my chest. The man opened his mouth to say something again, but was interrupted by an intimidating voice behind me.

"What's all the fuss over here, eh?"

I turned to see the owner of this strange, new voice; it was a younger man, equally as tall as the guard at the gate. On his arm, a wooden Lieutenant's badge stuck out proudly against the white cloth that held it in place against his black robes. A crest of bright red hair sprouted from the top of a head covered with black tribal tattoos. The word _pineapple-head _almost slipped from my lips, but I bit my tongue.

"L-Lieutenant Abarai!" sputtered Rude Guard #1. Both he and his compatriot bowed deeply.

"Again, what's goin' on over here?"

"This girl insists on seeing Captain Kuchiki. She claims to possess an 'important document'. I was simply sending her away, sir."

The new lieutenant's eyebrow twitched. "Sending her _away_? What are you, stupid? If she says she's got an urgent package for the captain, you let her in. Understand?" The dumbfounded Soul Reaper nodded vigorously. "Good." Turning to me, he jerked his chin at the gate. "You need t' see the captain?"

"Yes, sir. It's very imperative."

"Follow me, then." He snarled at the guards as he passed through the now-opened gate with me in tow.

The barracks of the Sixth Division were drastically different from our own. The landscape was immaculate and refined; shrubs trimmed precisely and the stone walkway gleamed nearly white it was so clean. The grounds were almost silent, save for the chirping of waking crickets and the lazy whine of cicadas hidden amongst the trees.

Yet the oddest feature of the property was the large cherry blossom tree that stood in full-bloom at the edge of a small pond. In front of it stood a man in a captain's haori, with a pale scarf 'round his neck and shiny black hair cascading down his back.

"Captain," summoned Lieutenant Abarai.

The proud captain didn't move. "Yes, Renji?"

He bowed respectively, though his superior could not see him. "There's someone here to see you, on important business, she says."

"Very well. Thank you."

With another bow, the pineapple-headed man disappeared, leaving me all alone (and scared out of my wits) with Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

"State your business," he ordered. His voice hadn't been loud, but it seemed to carry like a thunderclap across the deserted court.

I took a deep breath, tightened my fingers around my precious cargo, and stepped forward.


	5. Chapter 5: And One

**Ch. 5 – And One**

_June 11, Year One_

"_State your business," he ordered. His voice hadn't been loud, but it seemed to carry like a thunderclap across the deserted court. _

_I took a deep breath, loosened my grip on my precious cargo, and stepped forward._

* * *

><p>"Sir. My name is Kichida Masami, 10th Seat of the Eighth Division. Under the orders of Captain Kyoraku, I am to deliver this document to you."<p>

He turned slowly, and I held the folder out for him to take. He absently thumbed through its contents, then closed it and slipped it into his robes. "You were quite late in your delivery. It was my understanding that this would have been delivered sometime during the afternoon, yet the sun has already fallen onto the horizon, and only now do I have it in my hands."

I gasped a little and bent forward in the lowest bow I could physically manage. "Forgive me, sir! I was only ensuring that the package would be delivered to you in the utmost condition, as per my instructions."

"And that took you an entire afternoon?"

"…I was thorough, sir."

"Clearly. Nonetheless, I'll be sure to let your captain know that it was delivered unscathed."

I bowed again. "It was simply my duty as a Soul Reaper, sir." He didn't respond, and I, too, found my gaze glued to the blooming tree in front of me.

"Why do you stare so intently at the tree?"

His voice startled me out of my absentmindedness. "Eh? Oh, I, ah, it's…I just find it strange that it's blooming out of season."

"This tree had been on these grounds for centuries upon centuries, and not a single season has passed when it has not borne blossoms. It stands not only as a testament of the Sixth Division's age-old resilience, but as the symbol of the Kuchiki clan and its pride."

I had been dumbstruck by his words. Katsumi had been right, Byakuya Kuchiki was not only handsome in a physical sense, even the very _words he spoke _were beautiful. I wracked my brain for a worthy rebuttal.

"It's a truly magnificent tree." Wow, Masami, way to sound lame.

"Yes. thank you for your delivery of this document. It is nearly dark; it would be wise of you to head home."

"Ah! Er, yes, that's right." I bowed. "Good evening, Captain Kuchiki."

"Good evening."

I left as fast as possible, my face burning with embarrassment. Oh God, I'd looked like a total fool standing there…

But at least my head was safe for now.

* * *

><p><em>Nearby<em>

"It looks as though Kichida has successfully completed her task."

"See, Nanao? I told you she could do it." Kyoraku chuckled, perched comfortably atop a rooftop as he and his stoic second-in-command watched the young Soul Reaper hurry back to her own barracks.

"But there's one thing I don't understand, captain: why the elaborate ruse? Couldn't you have just given her the folder and had her deliver it to Captain Kuchiki without all the preamble?"

"Ah, you're so naïve. I made it seem so dire because I didn't want her to be chewed out by Byakuya for allowing one of the corners to be folded, that's all."

Nanao shook her head and sighed. "We went through all of that so you could _baby _her? You fool."

Kyoraku laughed. "Oh, don't be so _mean, _Nanao. I'll buy you a drink to make it up to you, how does that sound?"

"Captain, for the last time, I _refuse_ to have a drink with you."

"No? Not even this one time?"

"Not even when I'm dead, sir." She hopped off of the room and headed for home.

Kyoraku got to his feet with a defeated exhale. "_Yare, yare. _Masami and Nanao…those two are quite a pair." He followed the two girls back to the barracks.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm no writer, by any means, so I don't know how well I did with writing Byakuya. Lemme know if anything is off :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6: The Unexpected

**Ch. 6 – The Unexpected**

_July 16, Year One_

Summer's in full swing, and as the days continued to pass and the weather became hotter and greener, I finally settled into the Eighth Division's easygoing rhythm. My agreeable disposition, by now, had paid off; in reciprocation for helping my comrades with paperwork and whatnot, I gained respect and a new position amongst the front of the meal and bath lines. Likewise, I was no longer picked on/walked all over by the metaphorical "big kids" of the squad.

Katsumi and I had gone from simple acquaintances to good friends within the span of a month. Just recently, she had been promoted to the position of Seventh Seat, making her three seats my superior. I was jealous, of course, but proud of my friend; if there was anyone who deserved rank in Squad Eight, it was Katsumi.

Captain Kyoraku, for the past week and a half, had been more lenient and free-spirited than usual. Just the other day, he threw a huge party for the entire division. Lieutenant Ise, who had been absent on business, returned the next morning to the barracks nearly in shambles, the grounds littered with empty/broken sake bottles, discarded snack wrappers, and half-eaten foods. She was **not** amused. And I assumed she reached her breaking point once she discovered the captain sleeping off his hangover in the shade of a maple tree; he walked with a slight limp for several days after.

Yet, despite her hardened, oriented exterior, I found out that, once you worked past Workplace Lieutenant Ise, you uncovered the Kind, Sisterly Nanao stashed underneath. We, too, had become something akin to friends. On many of the nights I had off, I would join her in her office, poring over thick volumes of Soul Society lore and practicing kido as discretely as we could manage. More than just a couple times, holes had accidently been blown into the walls and furniture had caught fire, but it was taken care of, then laughed off as a joke.

Today had been a special day. I had nearly no work to be done, and a sizable group of Soul Reapers were dispatched the night before to go Hollow hunting in the 35th Yensai District of East Rukongai; Katsumi was to lead her own patrol there. In early afternoon, close to mid-day, I was summoned by an unknown Soul Reaper to the Captain's office for a phone call. I thought it strange, because I'd never received a call before. Picking up the phone from where it rested on hold, I warily answered,

"Hello?"

"Masami?"

The familiar tone of the voice on the other end startled me so much that I nearly dropped the receiver. "M-mother? Is that you?"

"Yes, it is. How good it is to hear your voice again…"

"Mother, are you alright? I haven't received a letter from you in nearly two weeks and I was starting to worry."

"I'm fine; there have been some issues with the postal service here. Apparently the mailman was killed."

I blinked. "O-oh, that's unfortunate."

From the other end, my mother snorted. "Quite the opposite. He was _never _on time with my mail. Perhaps now, they can afford to bring in someone reliable."

"Mother, that's terrible. Don't say things like that."

"I only speak the truth, dear. Now, tell me, how are things in the Seireitei? Have you been doing alright there?"

With a small grin, I hopped up and sat on the edge of Captain Kyoraku's desk, crossed my legs, and got comfortable. "Oh, I've been more than alright…"

* * *

><p>We must have talked for almost an hour. I detailed to her my time spent in the Eighth Division; how I'd been elected 10th Seat, what my Captain and Lieutenant were like, my fiasco at the Sixth Division…<p>

"…And you won't _believe _this, Mother, but I've actually fought a Hollow! With my own Zanpakuto! I wish you could have seen it, it was incredible, being with everyone and fighting by their sides! I've never felt more alive,"

"Masami, that's fantastic! I'm so proud of you, dear." Oddly, her voice had changed, and it almost sounded as if it were tinged with sadness and concern.

"Is something the matter?"

"Mm? No, of course not. Why would you say that?" The emotion vanished just as soon as it had appeared, and my mother's voice had gone back to being cool and level.

"Er, no reason."

In the background, it sounded as if someone had opened the door to my mother's house and called softly for her. "Oh, Masami, I'm sorry; but I must go."

"Alright. Take care, Mother."

"You too, dear. Make sure you are eating correctly."

"Yes, Moth-"

"And that you are washing your uniforms every week and bathing once a day."

"Yes, Moth-"

"Don't let anyone pick on you; stand up and be strong."

"I understand, Mo-"

"Oh, and do make sure that Shunsui stays in line. I know that his lieutenant does a job of it herself, but even she could use the extra hand. You know how he is…"

"Yes, Mother, I understand. I'll eat fine, wash my clothes, take a shower every night, and make sure the Captain doesn't do anything stupid."

"Excellent. Be sure to come and visit your mother some time, Masami, I do get lonely here."

"I promise, when I get some time off, I will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, dear."

The line went dead as she hung up. I put the receiver back into its cradle and ran a hand through my hair with a tired sigh. Mothers just didn't know when to draw the line.

I hopped back down off the desk and re-adjusted my black hakama. As I put one hand on the door to leave, I heard voices conversing from the adjoining room. I was sure I'd been alone; who could possibly still be in here?

I politely knocked on the door and peeked inside. "Excuse me…Captain?"

It was indeed my captain, seated at a low table with a cup of tea in his hands. Sitting across from him, dressed as well in a white captain's haori, was a man who I had never seen before. Thin white hair flowed down his back and masked his squad number.

"Masami-chan! I take it you've finished with your conversation?"

Thoroughly confused and a little flustered at interrupting his meeting, I stumbled over my words nervously. "I, yes, sir. I did. Sorry for interrupting, I didn't know you were in h-here sir, or that you had company…"

Captain Kyoraku waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Come, take a seat; I'd like to introduce you."

"I, uh, umm, alright." I scuttled over and sat to his right, with my legs tucked tight beneath me and my hands folded so firmly I thought I might break something. I kept my eyes zeroed in on the table in front of me, not wanting to look the mysterious second captain in the face.

"Masami-chan, this is Captain Ukitake of the 13th Division. Ukitake, this is Kichida Masami-chan; Hinowa's daughter."

"H-h-h-how do you do?" I managed, dragging my head up in order to politely meet the eyes of the man I'd just been introduced to. His face was surprisingly youthful, albeit thin and pale. But his eyes were warm, as was his smile, and instantly, I felt less anxious.

"A pleasure to meet you, Masami-chan. You 're Hinowa's child?"

I blinked. "Y-you know my mother?"

Captain Ukitake chuckled good-heartedly. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Didn't she tell you? I was once her teacher."

My jaw dropped by itself and nearly hit the table. It didn't take long for me to put the bits and pieces together.

_My mother attended the Academy?_

ToBeContinued~

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><p><strong>Dom dom dommm. Cliffyy, ain't it?<strong>

**And it's my duty to announce that this is where the story'll start to kick off. The climax is soon approaching, folks :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Amai Mono

**Ch. 7 _Amai Mono_**

_I blinked. "Y-you know my mother?"_

_Captain Ukitake chuckled good-heartedly. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Didn't she tell you? I was once her teacher."_

_My jaw dropped by itself and nearly hit the table. It didn't take long for me to put the bits and pieces together._

_My mother attended the Academy?_

* * *

><p>"<em>WHAT?<em>" I yelped uncontrollably. "But my mother never…attended school. She's lived in Rukongai all her life."

"Whoops," Captain Kyoraku interrupted suddenly. "Guess she's got some explaining to do. But, no hard feelings. Now, let's all just have a nice cup of tea and chat…" He reached for the tea kettle to his left and poured us each a fresh cup. With the conversation now dissoluted and my brain swimming with more questions than I knew how to handle, I took a polite sip and set the cup down gently.

"So, Masami; Shunsui tells me you've recently been appointed to the tenth seat. Congratulations," Captain Ukitake commended with a kind smile. I shot my uncle a strange look. _Was that bastard telling him all this?_

"Yes, sir. Just the other month, in fact."

"I'm surprised; usually graduates don't obtain a seated position within their first year."

My captain dropped his hand on my head and laughed. "Ah, but my little Masami is special. I knew she could handle it." He patted me as if I were a dog. And, like a dog, I snarled back. He snatched his hand back; a smart move, considering I was just about to bite him. "And, you know, she and Nanao get along so well with one another. It's such a relief. Her mother had been so worried that she wouldn't make any friends here."

My face went pink. "_Captain!_"

He was quiet for a minute, then he scratched his head with a cheeky grin. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to bring that up." Great. I was being thoroughly humiliated in front of another captain. I kept my eyes down and tugged at the sleeves of my uniform awkwardly. Could things go any worse?

Of course they could.

"I object, Shunsui, she has a certain social disposition. I doubt it'd be difficult for her to find friends anywhere."

"Nah, Ukitake, Masami-chan is quite shy. Or she may just be socially awkward. In any case, she tends to avoid others."

"Um, _hello? _Still sitting right here, sirs…"

Ukitake shook his head and folded his arms. "I disagree. If, in fact, she had been socially awkward, there would be no way that she would have brought herself to peek in on our conversation earlier. The fact remains that she would have simply left the office after she finished her phone call."

"Perhaps Masami- chan thought it was an intruder?"

"That _is _plausible…"

"Hey! Masami-chan is still here! Right in front of you! Drinking tea that's gone cold already! Am I invisible or something?"

Kyoraku rubbed his chin thoughtfully, giving me a sidelong look. "What do you think, Masami-chan?"

"_I'm the one you two are arguing about!_"

"Hmm, an excellent point. Your rebuttal, Jushiro?"

Captain Ukitake started, but his reply was cut short by a vicious fit of coughing. His thin shoulders shook so aggressively with his hacking that my captain got to his feet and gave him a sturdy pat on the back. I sat where I was and worried myself with whether or not the frail captain would die right there on the table.

"Come on, Jushiro, breath," Kyoraku urged, clapping him a couple more times before the white-haired man ceased the fit. His face had turned an even sicker shade of pallid; I was concerned that he _might _actuallydie on the table.

"I'm alright now, Shunsui, thank you. But maybe it would be best if I returned home and rested."

His friend nodded. "Yeah, that's probably your best bet at the moment. Need any help?"

"No, no. It's not far off. Sentaro and Kiyone are most likely waiting nearby, anyway."

"Alright, then. If you're sure…"

Ukitake gave a brave smile. "I assure you, I'll make it. Thank you for the lovely tea. And Masami-chan, it was nice meeting you. Tell Hinowa I say hello." He reached inside of his sleeve, and to my surprise, he pulled out a small package of chocolate candies, handing them to me with such a look of pure benevolence that there was no way I could refuse.

"Er, thank you, sir. Please have a safe trip home." I bowed, still holding the candy in my hands. He exited on wobbly legs, the door sliding shut almost noiselessly behind him. Kyoraku let out a tired sigh of defeat and sank back down to the floor, resting his head against his hand.

"_Yare yare. _That Ukitake…" he mused aloud.

"Captain." With the sickly guest now departed, I jumped at the opportunity to find the answers to the questions produced earlier. "What did Captain Ukitake mean, he was my mother's teacher?"

It was quiet for several painful seconds as he struggled with some decision within his mind. He sighed again, sitting up straight and fussing with one of the abandoned teacups on the table. "Your mother won't be happy with me if I tell you…"

"That's trivial, sir. What I'm looking for now are answers. What has she been keeping a secret from me?"

"Alright, I'll tell you. Before you were born, Masami, your mother attended the Soul Reaper academy for two years. Her kido was exceptional; she was being watched by the Fourth Division in her second year. Ukitake had been her tutor in swordsmanship, because, frankly, she couldn't handle a katana to save her soul."

"And then what? Why did she only complete two years?"

"She dropped out and returned to the Rukongai at the very beginning of her third term."

"But, why?"

At this, the captain looked skittish. "I wouldn't know. She never said why."

I shook my head dejectedly. "I don't understand…why did she not tell me?"

"Perhaps she didn't want you to be disappointed in her for abandoning her education?" He reached across the table and put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "Don't let it get you down. I'm sure she had a good reason for it, and someday, she'll tell you. Grown-ups are strange; they do things like this all the time."

"I suppose…" There was a light rapping on the door, followed by the lieutenant's polite "Captain Kyoraku?". He sighed and rose.

"Looks like duty calls. Feel free to rest here as long as you like, Masami-chan." He slipped out, shared a few words with his subordinate, and disappeared in a pitter-patter of _zori _sandals. I stayed at the table for at least twenty minutes before realizing where I was. Out of habit more than obligation, I cleaned up and put away the tea set, straightened out the fluffy cushions, and wiped off the table's surface with my sleeve.

With Captain Ukitake's gifted chocolate stashed inside my uniform, I trekked back to my little room solemnly. For a day that started out great, it sure went to hell in a handbasket.

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><p><strong>I couldn't really figure out how to end this one, so you'll have to excuse it for now. <strong>

**And, before I forget, thanks for all my reviewers. You guys make my day :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Bow

**Ch. 8 – Bow**

_July 30, Year One_

Weeks pass but do nothing to better my mood; I'm still as bitter and utterly confused as I had been on the day I learned my mother was an Academy dropout. And with Kyoraku dodging my questions like bullets and my mother completely unapproachable, I'm kept in the dark for longer.

Captain Ukitake stops by every few days or so, and he usually raises my spirits a bit when he gives me a warm greeting in passing or hands me a small offering of sweets. But his naturally benign demeanor aside, I can tell that he's not just stopping over for tea and cookies. Some issue has the Soul Society buzzing with concern. Like most of my comrades, however, I only have rumors and bits of weak information to go on.

My own captain's even showing signs of tired strain. I am slightly worried; from Lieutenant Ise I've heard that he's spent more time than usual holed up in his office. From the times I have caught him stumbling out with raccoon eyes and crumpled robes, it's apparent that he sleeps there often.

I can't help but fear for things.

* * *

><p>"Kichida, have you familiarized yourself with the binding spells described in the book I lent you last week?" asked my lieutenant as she stood on her toes to replace a textbook on her shelf.<p>

"Yes, ma'am. Bakudo numbers 37 through 43, also known as the System of Nets. They are characterized by their ability to form protective lattices."

She gave me a surprised look, like she hadn't been expecting such a precise answer. "Correct. Very nice." My chest swelled with unimaginable pride. Recently, more and more of my time was spent in Nanao's office. Together, we worked our way through her bookshelf, practicing and reviewing the spells that manifested on the well-worn pages. Every so often, I was allowed the privilege of borrowing a book, which I devoured eagerly in my spare time. Since, my knowledge of battle tactics, kido, and the inner workings of the Soul Society had nearly doubled since graduation.

Out of the kindness of my heart, I hefted the rest of the books off the table and shuffled awkwardly over to where my superior stood organizing the towering bookshelf. She offered up a smile of appreciation and took the books one-by-one from my arms, replacing them with an air of perfectionism in their respectful places.

"Thank you for your help," she stated with a nod after things were in order once again. She took her spot behind her desk and shuffled the piles of files scattered on top of it importantly. "Be sure to go over the chapter I mentioned on Zanpakuto communication; it will help you to interact with your sword's spirit, and I know that's what you struggle with."

I sheepishly scratched the back of your head. "You're right about that. And I will. Ma'am. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

Nanao pushed her glasses up farther on her nose and shook her head. "No, I believe we're done here today. You are free to go. Enjoy your afternoon."

I gave a curt bow and backed for the door. "And you, Lieutenant."

The door seemed to creak shut ominously as I departed. It left an uncomfortable silence hanging like thick curtains over the barracks.

* * *

><p>Gravel crunched beneath my sandal-clad feet. I found myself making a long lap around the perimeter of the Eighth Division alone, with only birdsongs and summer cicadas to keep me company.<p>

Losing track of time had caused me to wind up at the front gates with no recollection of how I'd gotten there in the first place. But just as I had pivoted to go back the way I came, the thick slabs of wood swung open, and in stepped a hulking man in a captain's coat and his slightly smaller, less impressive lieutenant. For a moment, they looked unsure, almost lost. And seeing as how no one else was around to help, I volunteered myself.

"Er, good afternoon, captain. Can I help you?" I subtly forced myself not to stare at his intimidating, anthropomorphic canine face. On appearance alone, I knew he was Komamura of the Seventh Division. His lieutenant's name…well, I didn't know or care too much.

Despite his looks, the giant of a man looked down on me with kindness. "Hello. I am looking for captain Kyoraku. Might he be around today?"

My captain had shut himself up in his office again today, but as it had been quiet all day, I couldn't see the harm in escorting the pair. "Yes, he is. Allow me to accompany you." And so, our strange triad set off.

The walk was almost painfully silent, until Captain Komamura took the leap with small talk.

"You are quite adept at maneuvering through these hallways. Are you a seated officer?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. 10th Seat Kichida Masami, at your service." We rounded a corner to another desolate hall.

"A tenth seat? Ah, that makes sense. You carry your Zanpakuto with an air of confidence; you know how to use it well."

Before I could utter a gratified _thank you, _his silly-looking lieutenant spoke up.

"Oh, I dunno, Captain. She looks a little too cute to be a tenth seat to me…"

I bit my tongue. _Stuff it, you weirdo. You wear sunglasses inside. You don't wear sunglasses inside where there isn't any sun, you boob. And it's overcast outside, too. What's wrong with you? You should be ashamed. And damn it all, I am not cute. I'm a five foot tall killing machine, sort of._

"It's wise not to judge a book by its cover, Tetsuzaemon. Haven't I said that before?"

"Er, yes captain. My apologies, Tenth Seath Kichida."

"It's, uh, fine, sir." Ohh. Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba: now I remembered.

The final leg of the journey, a five minute walk, was pleasant. Komamura kept up an amusing chatter, Lieutenant Iba remained eerily quiet, and I was simply happy to listen. His words were almost eloquent, the way he spoke of honor as a Soul Reaper, and the power of determination and loyalty to your division.

"…For it is wise to remember that a Soul Reaper on his own is no more threatening than a single dog. But bring together a whole pack of dogs, and you now have a force to be reckoned with. Each division of the Gotei 13 functions as a unit; if that unit breaks apart, you can have no order, you can have no peace."

His words stuck in my heart and filled me with a deep sense of pride in my compatriots and fellow Eighth Divisioners. One doesn't realize how much one's comrades are taken for granted until you realize just how small you really are without them. His mini-speech concluded by the time we reached Kyoraku's office. The door was shut; I rapped lightly upon it. From inside, there was a muted shuffling, and a moment later it swung open, revealing a very haggard, very unshaven Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. His eyebrow shot up in curiosity upon gazing at our trio.

"Komamura. Iba. It's strange of you to pay me a visit. And you as well, Masami-chan."

"Captain, I hope you don't mind. Captain Komamura and Lieutenant Iba wish to speak with you."

"I see…well then, come on in, fellows." He stepped aside to let them enter, giving me a quick nod before shutting me out. I wouldn't be defeated so simply. I wrapped my spiritual pressure tightly around me like a cloak, lowering it as much as I possibly could to avoid detection by the men I was currently spying on. I was no dummy; Captain Komamura had come here about the Thing that had everyone's panties all tied up in knots. I pressed my ear to the door, and strained to listen.

"…situation has grown more intense. We can't possibly keep them at bay for much longer with the insufficient number of troops currently deployed."

"I know, I know. My own people are out there; according to them, it's as bad as you've described. But, for now, what can we do?"

"I have discussed this briefly with the Head Captain. It will be brought up at the next captain's meeting, and the issue of troop displacement will be resolved. I fear the situation is much worse than we have anticipated, Kyoraku."

There was a tired sigh. "I agree. Kurotsuchi's people are still trying to figure out where all of these Hollows are coming from. I've read the most recent report: they aren't coming from Hueco Mundo. Speculation is that they are being created here in the Soul Society."

"But that's preposterous! Who could be creating Hollows right under our noses?" Komamura demanded intensely.

"I have a few theories…but I'll opt for keeping my mouth shut. Don't wanna start more trouble than is needed."

"But-"

"Sajin," Kyoraku interrupted. "What we need to do now is keep a level head. The longer we can keep peace amongst the others, the better. A mass hysteria would not be welcome."

Tetsuzaemon finally raised his voice. "Captain Kyoraku is right, sir. We can't have the other Soul Reapers getting their feathers ruffled over this. Rumors are already circulating as is, and that's bad enough."

A pause. "You are right, both of you. This will be dealt with efficiently, and safely. I would not like to see more blood shed over this." Komamura still sounded unsure.

From my hiding place on the other side of the door, I hugged my knees to my chest. It all made sense. Katsumi and the others had been dispatched in order to fight the Hollow problem in the Rukongai. There was someone amongst us who was artificially creating Hollows and releasing them into the populated areas. This situation was steadily getting too hot to handle.

Someone was trying to sabotage the Soul Society.

* * *

><p>Like the big-mouth that I was, my first instinct was to tell someone. That someone was Nanao. She patiently waited for me to finish my frantic spiel, then folded her hands neatly on top of her desk, her lips pressed to a thin line.<p>

"I see." After a moment of what looked like deep thought, she frowned. "You know, Kichida, it's rude to listen in on a conversation between captains."

"But this was important!" I insisted, waving my arms. "If _you _weren't even informed of this, doesn't that mean that this is kind of a really big deal? Our people can be dying out there! _Katsumi _could be dying out there!"

"While I sympathize with your concern for your friend, I can't take any action, nor can the captain. It's up to Head Captain Yamamoto to decide what will be done. For now, we must do as has been said: relax, and keep a level head. All will be resolved in due time, I promise you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded stiffly. "Y-you're right. I suppose I overreacted. Forgive me."

"No, Kichida," assured the Lieutenant, getting up to ready a pot of tea. "You reacted the right amount."

* * *

><p><strong>I am soooo bad at procrastinating. And I'm sorry that this is so late. But I pinky-promise, thing'll start picking up from here. It'll get real good, real fast. :) Review for faster updates, because I have no life this weekend.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Stranger Ties

**Ch. 9 – Stranger Ties**

_August 9, Year One_

August is hot. Really hot. Sweltering. Oh-god-I'm-melting degrees Celsius. I'm not built for this kind of climate, and apparently, neither is anyone else. In the Eighth Division, we've all taken to tying up our sleeves like a bunch of idiots and tossing away our sandals and tabi socks. Frighteningly, some men even go as far as to roll up the legs of their hakama way past the point of decency. Several times I have been blinded.

I learn from my higher-ups that the cooler chores such as watering the garden and sweeping in the shade of the barracks are the quickest to go in times of high summer. The poor, sweaty saps that get stuck with training drills and cleaning the floors are snickered at incessantly. This seems to be the case all throughout the Seireitei (excluding the Tenth Division, where their ice-loving captain refuses to have anything even remotely warm as a temperature).

Just the other day, Katsumi and her patrol returned from the Rukongai, with faces lined and shallow. Some went straight to their quarters, others reported to the captain, and a small few, who were still in marginally high spirits, socialized with their friends.

Katsumi was one of them. She jumped at me like a wild animal, threw her arms around my neck, and choked me for all it was worth. Then she grabbed me by the shoulders and proceeded to shake me like a chew toy as she wailed about how much she missed me. What a spaz.

She showed me her first battle scar; a thick band of marred skin that circled around her wrist like a bracelet. But she's proud of it, and purposely flaunts it whenever she can, because it means she's a "real Soul Reaper now". I wanted to know everything that happened, but I kept the questions for later; she needed rest.

Today, the day after her return, she suggested we take a walk together.

"I'll tell you what happened that won't be in th' formal report." she grinned cheekily.

The temperature today was mercifully lower than it had been, and the sky dotted with fluffy white clouds blocked most of the sun's harsh rays. Because we had been given the day off, we dressed in our lightest yukata; mine in an appropriate pale blue decorated in clouds, hers in boyish grey pinstripes. But it suited her well.

Our usual uniforms had given us strange tan lines (though hers were worse than mine), yet thankfully, we weren't alone. There was a good handful of other Soul Reapers off for the day, and they too wore thin yukata, and possessed the humorous skin tone.

"It seemed to me like the return group was smaller than it had been when you left." I began, hoping that it wouldn't be in bad taste to get right to the point.

"There were a lotta people who were sent to the Fourth Division for their injuries. Fifth Seat Fusaki damn near lost his arm. Hasegawa's blind now. Cero clipped 'im in the face," She shook her head dismally. "It was scary to watch, Ma-chan. I've never been more terrified in my life."

The way she recounted the casualties made my knees quiver in fear. Ninth Seat Hasegawa had been one of the greatest sword arms in the entire division; with his sight gone, he would be demoted, and I would gain his position. I should be a little more excited about that, but the idea just leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a rock in my gut.

"How bad is it?" I asked, concerned.

"They're everywhere. Seems like they're crawling outta every nook 'n cranny. I can't imagine where they keep comin' from."

I took her by the arm and leaned close to her ear. "I'll tell you a secret, but you _have _to swear to keep it to yourself, Katsu-chan," She held up her pinky finger with a grin and I linked it with mine. "If you tell, I'll make you swallow a thousand needles. Now, I heard the captain talking with Captain Komamura and Lieutenant Iba from the Seventh Division, and he said that they aren't coming from Hueco Mundo; they're coming from here in the Soul Society."

"_What? _You're joking, there's no way-"

"Honest. He said something about a report from Research and Development. He also mentioned that he has some idea of who's behind it."

"Who?" Katsumi hissed urgently, eyes wide with excitement.

"Well, that's the thing, he didn't say. I've thought about it, but the only squad who would have the resources to artificially create Hollows here in the Soul Society would be-"

"Kurotsuchi's Twelth Divison!" Katsumi finished for me in a breathless whisper. I nodded.

"Remember, you can't tell anyone. We could get in a lot of trouble for this!" I urged, tugging on the ends of my sleeves anxiously. Katsumi had a big mouth, but I was confident in her abilities to stay quiet.

"Ma-chan, I _won't. _We pinky swore on it."

For now, I was convinced. The morbid topic was dropped and we switched to something a bit more lighthearted. I told her what had gone on in her absence (which hadn't been much), and about the new spells I'd learned under Lieutenant Ise. My friend only gave a jealous scowl. Before she could come up with a worthy retort, her attention was snatched by a pair of young men in uniform leaned up against a wall nearby. Katsu stopped dead in her tracks, her gaze fixed. I took a look at the pair she was so intensely ogling.

They were close in height, but vastly different in appearance. The taller had a mop of spikey black hair, with his uniform sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. The other is a meek youth with sleek gold hair and an almost heartbreaking face. But his mouth is curled into an easy smile as he converses with his companion. I noticed that both men wore lieutenant's badges on their arms.

"Hey, Katsu-chan, look at tha-"

"ANIKI!" she yelled out suddenly, throwing one arm into the air. The two turned their necks to see who had just called.

The taller man, who I could see had a tattoo on his face, went wide eyed and brought up a hand. "Oi!"

While the blonde lieutenant and I stood still in confusion, the other two took a running start at one another. Katsumi launched herself, throwing her arms around him in the same way she had done to me when she'd returned. Her 'brother' patted her on the back with a happy expression.

"Ma-chan, come here! Come meet Aniki!" she laughed out, dangling from his shoulders like a child. Tentatively, I stepped forward. "This is Aniki. Aniki, this is Tenth Seat Ma-chan, from the Eighth Division."

"Hisagi Shuhei, Ninth Division," he greeted, extending a hand. I wasn't sure if it was polite or not to simply shake the hand of a lieutenant, but seeing as how he'd already initiated it, I bit the bullet and took his hand gingerly.

"K-Kichida Masami, Eighth Division. Sir." I had butterflies in my stomach; meeting higher-ups was always nerve-wracking.

Lieutenant Hisagi threw a call over his shoulder. "Hey, Kira. Don't just stand there, get over here and meet the ladies!" luckily, Lieutenant Kira appeared as wary as I did. He shook first with Katsumi, then with me.

"Lieutenant Kira Izuru. Nice to meet you." His grip was honest, but skittish, as if he didn't want to shake at all. I could sympathize with that.

"Tenth Seat Kichida Masami, Eighth Division, sir." If you could get past his depressive disposition and gloomy expression, he was actually quite handsome; with baby blue eyes and an unmarred face. My cheeks felt a little hot.

"Let's all walk together! Have some time to catch up, y'know?" Katsumi volunteered eagerly, smacking Lieutenant Hisagi in the arm as encouragement.

"That's not such a bad idea. Kira?"

"I…I suppose."

"Maaa-chan?"

All eyes were on me now. "T-that sounds nice. Shall we go?"

What _exactly_ just happened?

* * *

><p>"So, Katsumi, Lieutenant Hisagi is your brother? I wasn't aware that you had family in the Seireitei," I chatted.<p>

"Well, Aniki isn't my _real _brother. When we were still in the Rukongai, just before he went off to school, we shared a house together with several other kids and an older couple who watched out for us. The old man was a merchant, so we didn't have all that much money coming in. Then Aniki went off to school and became a Soul Reaper, and he sends the money he makes back home. That's why he's always broke. Right?" Katsumi poked him in the arm, but her face was illuminated with a look of sheer gratitude and admiration.

Hisagi coughed. "Uh, right." Kira snickered into his palm. "Sh-shut up!"

"I've always wondered what happened to your paychecks. Who would have guessed they went towards something so benevolent?" Kira mused aloud with a grin. Hisagi rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Aniki. One'a these days, you wanna take a trip down to visit them with me? I'd go alone, but with all this Hollow trouble lately…." Katsumi shook her head. "I wanna make sure they're doing okay."

"I have next weekend off. We can go then."

While my energetic friend cheered like no tomorrow, I giggled to myself. Lieutenant Kira, who had been walking to my right, raised a curious eyebrow. "I guess even the people you know best can still surprise you, no?"

Kira sighed. "You have a point. I would never have guessed that Hisagi had a family down in Rukongai to look after. He acts so…"

"Dependent?"

"Exactly. How did you know?" asked the lieutenant with a faint air of surprise.

I laughed in amusement. "Because, Katsumi is the same way."

* * *

><p>The four of us walked for another hour, time spent in good company. It was enjoyable, and when we went our separate ways after stopping for iced tea at a stall, I was a bit disappointed. The meeting with her dear Aniki had wiped the traces of post-battle bitterness from Katsu's face and replaced it with the rebellious vividness that drew me to her like a magnet.<p>

"Katsumi," I asked on our way home. The hot sun was sinking quickly into the horizon, but it didn't take the hot, sticky heat from the air. "You've been sending your earnings to the Rukongai, haven't you?"

My friend nearly inhaled the empty dango skewer she'd been gnawing on. "What, no! I keep all'a my paychecks. Aniki takes care of that stuff, I told you."

"Oh, really?" I waved a greeting at the gate guards as we re-entered the barracks. "Because you only paid in 100 yen coins today."

At my side, the dirty blonde Soul Reaper scoffed and averted her attention elsewhere. The wooden skewer in her mouth shook back and forth as she chewed incessantly. I couldn't help but laugh at her behavior.

That girl couldn't lie to save her soul.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was kinda cute, wasn't it? Not the way I wanted it to go, but decent nonetheless. Next two chapters will be fun...It's party time ;)<strong>

**Also, this story (as I've forgotten to mention several times now) takes place before the beginning of Bleach, wherein Aizen, Gin, and Tosen are all still captains.**

**Again, thanks to the reviewers, the favoriters, the alerters, and the readers. You are all magical.**


	10. Chapter 10: Golden

**Ch. 10 – Golden**

_September 22, Year One_

Today, the Soul Society is in a state of ecstatic cacophony. With officers, both seated and not, running up and down the streets with arms laden with boxes and supplies, one might have thought the Hollow crisis had reached a breaking point. But, fortunately, that's not the case.

Because today was the day of the Autumn Equinox and the resulting obligatory party.

The invitation had come by mail a fortnight earlier, printed on crisp white rice paper with burnt orange scripting. The entire Eighth Division was welcome. The celebration was being held by Captain Kuchiki and the Kuchiki family, with additional funding by the wealthy Omaeda family. As designated by the invitation, it was to be held on the grounds of the Sixth Division. Attendance was optional, but it was almost guaranteed that most everyone would show up.

Katsumi and I, with the addition of Lieutenant Ise, spent the afternoon drifting in and out of kimono shops, searching for something acceptable to wear. We poured our meager funds into the rich robes, wasting a sizable portion of our earnings in the span of several hours. Well, at least, myself and Katsumi did. The lieutenant was a little more responsible with her money.

She had purchased a simple kimono in cornsilk color, decorated with a pattern of overlapping wheels just a shade darker than the fabric it was printed on. Here and there, a group of wheels shifted their colors into a mix of dark red and purple. The obi was black, with stripes of red, and a complimenting pink obijime laid over it pleasantly. At my insistence, she reluctantly bought a tinkling gold _kanzashi _as well.

Katsumi's outfit was more extravagant, to go with her firecracker personality. Hers was a sunny orange, patterned in white lilies that crawled across the cloth in vines. Strange as it looked, it suited her strangely. I'd never seen a girl so thrilled by a kimono before.

My own robes were bought last, and took the biggest chunk out of our funds. But the cost was trivial; it was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. It was a charcoal grey, edged in white, and covered in a hundred falling maple leaves in gold, tinged at the edges in a melted red-orange color. The obi was a shimmery dark violet that went well with the new floral hair clip I (rather unwisely, considering my budget) purchased with it.

Our arms laden with our fine goods, we trekked back to the barracks, now humming with excitement, to prepare for the evening. Nanao split from us early, claiming there was paperwork to be done beforehand. But she was a solitary woman; I assumed she preferred to dress herself alone.

Katsumi generously lent her room to the cause, more or less because it was closer than mine. The floor inside was covered in a fine layer of dirty _shihakusho _and other used linens. A low table had been pushed into a corner; atop it rested a half-written report that would probably never be finished. Her futon lay gutted and empty in the middle of the floor. It was kicked into the closet hastily.

"Uh, sorry 'bout the mess. I don't get company, so I don't bother cleaning up," she apologized, whisking more and more things into corners with her stocking feet. "You want any tea or something? I could try and find the tea maker 'n stuff…"

I waved her off politely, thoroughly amused at the way she skittered about the tiny room. "It's quite alright, Katsu. We are here to dress, not drink."

A pair of well-scuffed _geta _clattered to the floor from her hands. "Oh, yeah. That's right. Well, what're you sittin' there for? Get up, I wanna see how that kimono looks on you!"

* * *

><p>After an hour of struggling, adjusting, readjusting, and accidental foot-crushing, we'd managed to dress one another. Katsumi managed to tie a pair of silken white ribbons into her mess of dirty blonde hair, and, oddly enough, it helps to mute the bold smattering of freckles across her nose. In turn, she'd arranged my hair into an intricate chignon at the base of my neck; a rather despairing clump of hair had collected on the floor, yanked from my scalp by Katsumi's borderline-sadistic hands. Just behind my right ear, my <em>kanzashi <em>twinkled cheerfully whenever I moved. it was a small but much appreciated comfort.

"So…when's this whole shebang start? I feel dumb bein' all dressed up with no place to go." Katsumi drawled, stretched out comfortably on a pile of dirty laundry, picking her nose absently with her pinky finger.

"According to the invitation, we're expected at six this evening at the Sixth Division. And for the love of the Soul King, Katsumi, stop that!" I blurted out, frowning in disdain as my friend continued digging for gold.

"Eh? Why? Wha's wrong with it?"

"You look like a slob! You are a Soul Reaper, not a listless country bumpkin. Have some _dignity_!"

"Well, aren't _you_ shrewd?" she muttered, wiping her finger on one of the black _kosode _she was so languidly perched on. I bit my tongue against a retort. "But I'd rather do it _now _than have t'do it later tonight in the midst of you snobby nobles."

"Oh come off it, I'm no more a noble than you are a princess."

"Puh-_lease, _Ma-chan," Katsumi wiggled her toes from under the white cotton of her tabi socks. "Even I know that your ma's livin' in one'a the well-to-do districts in Rukongai. And clearly she's got some serious cabbage if she ain't depending on your paychecks every month. Which I know you don't send." she concluded with a snicker. Rolling to her feet, she stretched with a grunt and fixed the hem of her kimono.

"I-I-I don't send my paychecks because she tells me not to! She's perfectly capable of caring for herself, _thank you very much._" Flustered, I attempted, feebly, to dismiss her claims.

"Uhhhh-huh," Katsumi's eyes rolled skeptically toward the ceiling. "You got the time? Ain't got a clock in here, and I'm pretty sure I hear people out in the halls."

To my surprise, a quick check outside revealed that there were, in fact, fellow Soul Reapers beginning to migrate down the halls to the main entrance. Just to double check, I pulled aside Third Seat Enjoji and asked where everyone was headed.

"Hmph. To the Kuchiki's party, of course. Come on, Tenth Seat, get with it."

I may have neglected to mention that I really hate that guy.

So, hand-in-hand, Katsumi and I joined the growing flood of men and women as we all traversed through the courtyard and onto the relatively packed streets. The setting sun against the vibrant colored kimono fabric made for a beautiful scene, nearly reminiscent to a Chinese New Year dragon. As I tried not to trip and fall and die by trampling in my tall _geta, _a familiar booming voice rose above the din of voices behind me.

"Oooiiiii, Masami-chaaaan!"

I dodged the oncoming traffic flow, looking back to search for whoever hadmade the summons. "Is that you, Captain?"

Through a break in the people-wall stepped my infamous cap-tard, lieutenant in tow. His _shihakusho _had been exchanged for a set of handsome robes in maroon, patterned in pale pink chrysanthemums. Like Katsumi's kimono beside me, it too was eccentric, yet it fit his uniquely bold style.

"Ahh, now would you look at the two of you? Who'd've thought something as simple as a wardrobe change could turn you into something so lovely?" Katsumi flushed red under his flattery, but I simply shook my head.

"Careful, Captain, you're overstepping the lines of workplace appropriateness."

He scratched his head and chuckled. "Whoops, my mistake." He'd chosen to keep his hat on and his hair pulled back; however, it looked significantly neater this evening than it normally did. I peered around him at Nanao, who had her hands nervously folded in front of her, tugging at the fabric of her kimono. Her hair, freed from its customary tight clip, fell down to her shoulders, pinned back on the left with the hair clip she'd bought only this afternoon. I grinned wide at my superior.

"Lieutenant Ise. You look...amazing."

She blinked, as if the compliment had caught her completely by surprise. With her cheeks dusted a pale pink, she replied, "O-oh, thank you very much, Kichida."

I shook my head, still smiling. "Please, Lieutenant, it's a party; you can call me Masami, if you'd like."

"Masami," she parroted slowly, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "Alright then, for tonight."

The captain slung an arm around the shoulders of his flustered subordinate. "See, Nanao-chan? Even _they _agree that you look beautiful. Now, put on a smile and have a drink-"

Nanao jabbed him in the gut with a sharp elbow, glasses glinting in the light. "I have already told you, sir, I won't be drinking with you tonight. And take your hands off; you're crossing the line again." His hands snapped back to his sides.

All this time, Katsumi was standing stiff like a stick, arms pressed to tight to her body that she imitated a standing corpse. A corpse with wide eyes that bit her lip almost to the point of bleeding. In an attempt to relax my spasmodic companion, I bumped her shoulder with mine and took her arm. "Shall we go, then? We're creating a problem for everyone else by just standing here." It was true; the four of us were getting plenty of dirty looks from passersby.

Kyoraku nodded, tipping up the brim of his sakkat up and out of his eyes. "An excellent idea." I let he and Nanao pass before following, yanking on Katsumi's arm for her to follow.

"At ease," I hissed into her ear. "We're off duty, and attending a party. You don't need that much formality."

She relaxed, but not by much. "You sure? I don't wanna look like an idjit in front of everybody…"

"You _won't,"_ I insisted. I quickened my pace to catch up with the rest of our little quartet. "Just follow my lead, and everything will work out fine."

"You better be sure about this, Ma-chan, or I'll beat your ass into next week for makin' me look bad."

I laughed and pulled her along toward the open gates of the Sixth's barracks. "That's more like it." With the floral design of our captain in sight, we allowed the crowd to carry us through the entrance and into the celebration beyond.

ToBeContinued...

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><p><strong>Ack. So I'm super sorry this chapter is late, but FF was being a dildo and wasn't allowing me to log in this weekend. And, sorry again, but part 2 to this chapter probably won't be up until at least wednesday evening. I'm beyond busy this week, but thankfully, I have Thursday through Monday off, and I'll be able to write like none other. So, please forgive me; and I love love looooove you all, readers and reviewers and favoriters alike. Looooooove you. Loooove. Keep it real, bitches.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11: Celebrar

**Ch. 11 – Celebrar**

The Sixth Division barracks had been turned into something out of a fairy tale.

From long white cords suspended over the heads of the guests hung multicolored lanterns bearing autumn patterns of maple leaves and fall flowers. Here and there, small tables laden with food and drinks were tended to by Kuchiki servants and frequented by all. And, under the perpetually blooming sakura tree, vibrant shrouds were spread atop the grass and upon them sat laughing, cheerful nobles and higher-ranking officials, sipping sake from red ceramic dishes.

The grounds, however spacious they seemed on an average day, now were packed full of Soul Reapers from all four corners of the Seireitei. Despite the impending trouble brewing in the Rukongai, the atmosphere was contagiously jovial, uplifting, and hardly anyone carried Zanpakuto on their hips.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Kyoraku asked with a grin, patting me on the shoulder in good intention. "The Kuchiki sure know how to throw a party."

"Indeed they do," came the response from an approaching stranger. The four of us turned, and advancing up behind us, clad in soft lilac and a warm smile, as Captain Ukitake. He was accompanied by a petite girl, _very _petite, with short, raven hair and a pair of large, violet eyes. She was dressed rather lavishly in a light blue kimono, with a golden obi and several snowy cranes gliding through the clouds of the silken sky. I knew right away that this was a hand-painted ensemble, costing well above what even a captain could afford. But before I could inquire any further, my captain's hands slipped from my shoulder and went to slapping Ukitake's instead.

"Jushiro! How've you been? I daresay I haven't seen much of you lately," said Kyoraku, all smiles, now that his ailing friend showed up.

"My apologies; I have been quite ill recently. But once I heard that Byakuya was hosting a celebration tonight, I couldn't help but make an appearance. Sentaro and Kiyone tried to keep me bedridden, but…" He gave a wide grin, full of good-will and just a hint of cunning. "I went anyway."

"You damn fool," Kyoraku chastised, but his tone was playful, if not stern. "Don't come crying to me if you overexert yourself tonight."

"Oh, come off it, Shunsui. I'm ill, not old," the snow-haired captain huffed. At my side, Katsumi tugged at my hand and whispered in my ear.

"That captain, Ukitake. He's got tuberculosis, y'know. Heard it through the Shinigami grape vine."

As much as I wanted to reply, I bit my tongue and stopped myself. It was rude to gossip about company when they were present. Plus, the black-haired rich girl looked like she was giving me the stink eye. I shuffled nervously.

At a break in conversation among the two captains and Nanao, I greeted Ukitake politely. "Good evening, captain. You're looking well."

"Masami-chan. And good evening to you, too. You, too, are looking well tonight."

"Thank you, sir." I bowed slightly, then glanced at his stoic companion. Apparently, I hadn't been as inconspicuous as I thought, because Ukitake gave a start and gestured to the girl beside him.

"Oh dear, I'd almost forgotten. I'd like you to meet Kuchiki Rukia, a member of Division Thirteen. Her elder brother is our gracious host tonight."

Kyoraku and Nanao nodded; I assumed they'd met at some point before, but Katsumi and I had never seen her around. The three of us exchanged deep, polite nods and obligatory introductions.

"How do you do? I am Rukia. Please enjoy yourselves this evening." She was formal, very much so, and had a way of speaking that made one nearly fear reprimand if they as much as set one toe out of line.

Captain Kyoraku suggested they get something to drink. Rukia excused herself to socialize with the other guests, while Nanao gave a desperate attempt to escape her captain's company. She was tugged off by the sleeve, against her will, after the pair of captains. Which left Katsumi and I standing awkwardly amongst throngs of nobles and half-drunken party goers.

"Uh, now what?" the blonde asked, kicking nervously at a stone on the ground.

"I don't know. Maybe we…try to find someone we know?"

"Puh-lease. We're just barely seated officers; who would we possibly know here?"

"Weeeeell…" she trailed off, scanning faces to pick out one she knew. "There's-Aniki!"

A familiar spikey-haired man in a dark green kimono turned nearby, an eyebrow raised. "Katsumi?"

Just like that, my one companion vanished in an instant, and I was left terrified and alone at a party full of adults I did not know. But, after realizing I must have looked a fool standing in one place, wrinkling the sleeves of my kimono anxiously, I set off to find an acquaintance.

* * *

><p><em>An hour passes<em>

With sore feet and a slight headache, I flopped down on the corner of partially empty blanket beneath the blooming tree. So far, my attempts at finding company had been futile, outside of a few superficial chats with fellow Eighth Divisioners and associates I'd met through work, like Lieutenant Kira from the Third, and Captain Komamura of the Seventh. I'd even managed to find Nanao for several minutes, until a skunk-drunk blonde with a pink scarf and her chest falling out of her kimono dragged her away ruthlessly.

With a sigh, I snatched a red saucer off a nearby tray and downed my now-second drink of sake that night. A slight breeze blew a handful of pink petals from their branches, sending them in a slow, dancing spiral to the ground. As I watched them fall, I became aware that there was a man standing just a few feet away, dressed in a simple, dark kimono and a silvery-white haori. A light, silky scarf was looped around his neck, and in his hair, kenseikan shone in the moonlight.

"C-Captain Kuchiki!"

Slowly, he swiveled his head to look at me out the corner of his eye. The recognition there was hazy, but imminent, as I scrambled to my feet in order to pay my respects.

"You," he said, one eyebrow raised ever so slightly. "are the girl from the Eighth Division. I believe your name was Kichida, correct?"

"Yes, sir! I am honored to be attending your party this evening." I tried to prevent my face from flushing too terribly as I swooned. Damn you, Captain!

"Very well. You are drawn to this tree again, I see."

"Eh?" I looked back up at the tree again, such a vibrant shade of pink against the light of the moon and the lanterns. "Yeah, I suppose I am. Say, Captain Kuchiki…What would happen if this tree stopped blooming?"

He pondered it for a few seconds before turning, with a swish, in the opposite direction. "I presume that would be the end of Soul Society."

I considered his words as he walked off. Any other person would have taken the apathetic man's statement with a grain of salt, but…

I stood up and brushed the nonexistent dirt from my robes. The end of Soul Society, huh?

I prayed the tree would continue to bloom throughout the current crisis.

* * *

><p>The potent wine hit me not ten minutes after my meeting with Captain Kuchiki. I had gained a light stumble in my walk, and suddenly, the lanterns seemed way brighter than they had before, and the people had multiplied.<p>

I had never once been drunk before in my life; an abstinence from alcohol had been one of the things I'd promised my mother when I'd left home in Rukongai.

_Yeah? Well, y'know what, screw 'er! She's a dirty liar anyways! Y'can't trust no one anymore 'n this world, nope!_

Oh dear Soul King. I placed a hand on my heated forehead and pushed the inebriated thought train out of my mind. What I needed now was a glass of cold water, and a place to sit down. With my vision swimming and legs wiggling all over the place like a bowl of gelatin, I dodged fellow clumsy patrons in a ridiculous dance. And I began to realize; I felt pretty damn great.

Until I smacked head-first into someone.

We both yelped, and while he stumbled back a few steps, my balance gave me a laughing middle finger and sent me straight on my ass sans preamble. My victim muttered something to himself and stuck a hand in my face.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going, miss…"

"'S okay, I wasn't paying attention neither," I dismissed, taking the warm hand and allowing myself to be pulled to my unsteady feet. I wobbled a bit, but was steadied when he placed his hand on my arm.

"Whoa, easy there. Are you alright? Again, I'm really sorry for bumping into you."

"Ah, I'm okay. Been through worse than that before," I got a good look at the face of my would-be savior…and wow, was I impressed. He was a few inches taller than me, clean faced and young. Three colorful beaded strands hung down from his mop of dark hair, and above one eye was a thin black tattoo that reached from his eyebrow almost into his hairline. I blinked a few times. "Uh, thanks for helping me up. That was kind."

"Don't mention it. I-I would have felt bad if I didn't."

I giggled a little. His face was pink, and the way he tripped slightly over his words and scratched his head nervously was, frankly, cute. "I'm Kichida Masami, by the way, but everyone just calls me Masami."

"Oh, um, you can just call me Rikichi. I'm with the Sixth Division."

"Rikichi-kun, huh?" I gave him my best smile. "It's nice to meet you. Now, what'dya say we go get something to drink? I'm quite thirsty."

* * *

><p>"…And I don't know, I guess I'm just no good with Hell Butterflies. What about you?"<p>

I laughed, amused by Rikichi's stories of his many failed attempts with Seireitei's resident messenger bugs. "Butterflies? I don't use them much. I like sticky notes and memos better. But maybe that's 'cause I do lots of office work."

"Some people have all the luck. _I'm _always getting stuck with grunt work around the barracks."

"I'd take chores over paperwork _any _day." I retorted, vaguely reminded of the thick stack of documents sitting in my IN tray.

"Paperwork? Are you an officer?"

"Tenth Seat." I giggled sheepishly. It was hard work keeping the slur out of my voice. Yet talking with my newfound escort had sobered me up significantly, though I was still a bit tipsy.

"Wow, that's great. I'm still unseated," he scratched his head again, and I felt a little sympathetic. "But I'm working on getting a promotion sometime soon. A position for twelfth seat opened up recently, and I'm gunning for it."

"I 'm sure you'll get it. After all-hey!" I cried as someone rudely rammed into my left side, spilling what I hoped was water onto the bottom of my sleeve. the man continued on unapologetically.

"Watch where you're going!" Rikichi called angrily after him. "Did he step on you?"

"No, I'm fine…" I sighed, holding up my arm. "But his drink got on my sleeve."

"Here, let me get that for you," he offered, snatching a cloth napkin off a table close by. "Er, may I?"

He gestured for my arm. "Oh, of course," With my hand held in his, he dabbed at the wet spot delicately until most of the water had been soaked up. His cheeks were red and burnt with embarrassment by the time he finished. "Thank you, Rikichi-kun."

"Oh, um, n-no problem."

The next couple hours passed pleasantly in his company. Side by side, we walked the perimeter of the courtyard, dodging drunks and troublemakers and skirting around puddles of unidentifiable substances on the ground.

With some difficulty, he asked me to dance, and together, we sashayed whole-heartedly to the fast-paced shamisens of the musician pair known widely as the Yoshino Brothers. After that, we drifted into the laughing crowd surrounding a stage on which a simple comedy was performed. But most of our time was spent under the sakura tree, sharing words smoothly between one another as the moon crossed the sky in a wide, silver arc.

I found Katsumi (or rather, she found me) as the party was winding down and the moon had slipped over to the western half of the sky. Rikichi and I had been visiting one of the buffet tables, and before I even had a chance to select a piece of exquisite sashimi from the colorful handcrafted arrangement, she launched herself at me in a full body slam that teetered on the edge of belligerent.

"Where have you _been?_" she shrieked, shaking me by the shoulders as she was so fond of doing nowadays. "We've been lookin' everywhere for you! It's time to go, and-do I smell sake on you?"

"Someone spilled on me," I recovered quickly. "I don't drink."

"Well, no matter. We're all leaving," she pointed over to where Nanao was supporting a flushed-faced Kyoraku, her eyebrows furrowed in an irritated, overtired scowl. "Come on, I'm totally beat."

"Okay, alright, hold on a minute. _Yeesh,_" I shooed her away and turned to Rikichi, who looked beyond confused. "That's, ah, a friend of mine. We're going to depart for the night."

"You're leaving? It's not that-" he peered up at the darkened sky and the halved number of remaining guests. "Uh, never mind. Will I, um, you know, see you again?"

"Oh, you never know. I just _might _happen to pass by the Sixth Division barracks this week and you _might _just be standing guard at the gates and I just _might _stop by for a little chat. But that's completely hypothetical, you know."

"Then, I just _might _look forward to waiting for you," He smiled again, and my stomach fluttered. Or maybe it was just the wine. "Good night, Kichida-san."

"I told you," I replied, feeling bold and squeezing his hand lightly. "Call me Masami."

When I caught up with Katsumi and our superiors a few minutes later, she had her arms folded over her chest and the widest, knowing smirk on her face. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"I don't!"

"_Sure _you don't. I saw you hold his hand."

"Sh-shut up, Katsumi!"

We set off through the open gates together, a rag-tag bunch of comrades connected in the strangest of ways.

* * *

><p><strong>I lied. I didn't get this out on Wednseday. Whoopsie. <strong>

**And, as for this chapter, let me say 'sorry' if you find it somewhat dry and unappealing. I'm not exactly oozing creative writing vibes this week. But I tried. **

**For anyone wondering who Rikichi is, he appears in episode 18, waaay back in the beginning. He tries to seduce a Hell Butterfly with a toy and gets kicked in the ass by Renji. **

**And, yes, the Yoshino Brothers is a play on the actual Yoshida Brothers. :)**

**New chapters next week, stay tuned!**


	12. Chapter 12: A Revelation

**Ch. 12 – A Revelation **

_October 5, Year One_

Eighth Division sustained its first casualty in the Hollow epidemic yesterday.

Nakamura Hiroshi had been serving under Captain Kyoraku for nearly 76 years at the time of his death. Among the squadmates that knew him best, he was kind, he was hard-working, and he had a certain fondness for the ladies of Rukongai's red-light district: Little Yoshiwara.

Because his body had returned so mutilated, so grotesque, his service was short, held last night, with his body shrouded in a black sheet to better mask the wounds underneath. It was gone by this morning, disposed of properly as mandated by the standard Soul Society funerary rites.

In order to compensate for the diminishing number of soldiers, 60 fresh troops were split evenly amongst the Thirteenth, Seventh, and Eighth Divisions and deployed back into the hellhole of East Rukongai before the sun even rose this morning.

In lieu of these events, a somber, quietly simmering haze settled down over the Eighth. Some mourned, some fumed, but all did as they were directed, without question. Such was a rare occurrence here, and it was unsettling, to say the least. No one said hello to one another in the halls, there was no raucous laughter echoing through the courtyards, no sweet scent of sake drifting out from behind closed doors. There was only shuffling feet, defeated sighs, and the sharp cracks of bokuto against bokuto from the practice hall outside.

I had the urge to go check on my captain today, as he'd been scarce around the barracks recently. In fact, I hadn't seen much of Lieutenant Ise, either, and the few times I _did, _she was tired-eyed and lugging around heavy armfuls of boxes and paperwork.

As I neared the senior officer's wing of the Administrations Building, I noticed it gradually grew less and less populated, until the halls fell dead-silent and lifeless. Suppressing a shudder, I hurried to my captain's office door and knocked three times, softly.

"Captain Kyoraku, sir?" There was a strained "come in" from the other side. Warily, I entered, peeking first around the door.

I'm not so sure I've ever seen Kyoraku so haggard. The facial hair he usually kept short and neat had now grown out into the beginnings of a full-on beard/moustache combo. He looked almost as if he'd been punched in both eyes, the dark circles were so terrible, and his hair, natty and unkempt, was slipping out of the colorful tie that held it back. His captain's haori and the frilly pink frock he wore over it were carelessly tossed over the back of the couch, and something told me they'd been there for a while, just like the several cold cups of tea that hadn't been touched on his desk.

He was hunched when I walked in, madly completing a piece of paperwork in a flurry of brushstrokes. He seemed oblivious to his new guest, so I softly cleared my throat and tried again. "Good afternoon, sir."

The brush in his hand halted and he glanced up, just slightly. "Hello…Masami-chan?" The paperwork was set aside and I was treated to a somnolent smile. "It's strange to have you as a visitor. What brings you here?"

"Well, I just hadn't seen you around lately, and I wanted to make sure you weren't, er, dead," I substituted lamely. "But I must say, I haven't seen you work this hard in – I've never seen you work before. Like, ever."

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Normally, I wouldn't bother with silly paperwork, but with our current situation…I'd like not for Nanao to do all this herself. She's already overworked as it now stands."

"You mean the Hollow crisis in Yensai," I said, clearly stating the obvious.

But my uncle shook his head. "It's not just Yensai anymore. They have spread so far south they're brushing the outer limits of Inuzuri. Ihiya, Benigawa, Nezumitsu: they're all infested. The north and west are still safe; Nurari remains unaffected."

I exhaled a breath of relief. 2nd District Nurari was where my mother lived. "So the Hollows are migrating."

"They're spreading out. Fortunately, it makes them easier to fight, but it means that there are more Souls to evacuate. We're running out of places to quarter them," He rose from his seat and paced to the small window behind him. The brass latch clicked as he pushed it open, allowing for a soft fall breeze to waft through the room and dispel the lingering stagnancy. The silence between us was tense, and it felt as though he had something still to say. And he did. "Nanao wants you to lead the next offensive squadron to Benigawa."

A chunk of what felt like stone wedged itself into my windpipe. "L-lead an offensive squadron? To B-Benigawa?"

"I told her that it's preposterous."

There was a mix of relief and slight disappointment swirling around in my emotional pool. "Why?"

"I don't want to send my little niece-chan, not even one year with the Gotei 13, into Soul Society's little chunk of Hueco Mundo as a Tenth Seat. And also your mother would kill me."

"Not if the workload gets there first, captain," I muttered, shaking my head. "Go sit down on the couch. Have you eaten at all in the past, oh I don't know, week_?_ Let alone _bathed_?"

"I did, in fact, eat last night. And I _have _bathed...just the other day."

"That's wrong, sir. Very wrong."

At that particular moment, the door flew open, and in stepped the scariest man I've ever seen wearing a captain's cloak. Tall as a building, mean as a snake, with a face like a bulldog and pointed hair topped with tiny bells. But it didn't stop there: he wore an eye patch, a body covered in so many scars he looked like a walking road map, and there was a pink-haired…child clinging to his back like an ape.

Captain Zaraki Kenpachi and Lieutenant Kusajishi Yachiru.

"Oi, Kyoraku. We need to talk. And here," he grunted, tossing a file onto the coffee table in front of my still-seated superior. "That fox-faced bastard from the Third told me t'give this to ya. Courtesy of Kurotsuchi."

Kyoraku picked it up, took one look at the subject heading, and darkened. "Very well, Zaraki. Masami-chan," he gave me a pseudo-apologetic look. "You're dismissed."

I bowed. "Yes, sir. Captain Kyoraku. Captain Zaraki, Lieutenant Kusajishi." Their names were added as a last thought, mostly out of fear for the Eleventh's demon of a captain. I skittered out, closed the door behind me, and made a mental note to swipe a copy of that report from Nanao's desk once it changed hands.

* * *

><p><em>Two hours prior<em>

"How _interesting,_" Mayuri Kurotsuchi cooed, blinking his bug-like eyes at the giant monitor before which he sat. "Nemu. Look at this."

His emotionless second-in-command slipped over and analyzed the data on the screens, her hands folded neatly in front of her. She remained in silence, having not been ordered to speak.

"What we've now obtained…" He spun his chair around and moved to another unit several feet over. His skinny white fingers flew across the keyboard. "…is the first conclusive evidence that these Hollows are not, in fact, arriving from Hueco Mundo.

"You see, Captain Ichimaru," He turned and spread his arms wide with a twisted grin. Behind him, Ichimaru Gin, captain of the Third Division, cocked his head in mild curiosity, his eyes squinted shut and his lips pulled up in a constant, leering smirk. "from the samples acquired by my subordinates, significant levels of Soul Society reishi were detected in their chemical make-up."

"But couldn't that just be from breathin' the air in the Rukon District?" Ichimaru inquired innocently with a shrug.

"You fool!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed. "Did you not hear me? It was found in their _chemical _composition, not their lungs. Had they been born in Hueco Mundo, there would be no trace of Soul Society anywhere. We see the Soul Society's spiritual fingerprint only in Hollows born from the souls of Rukongai residents, but such Hollows are rare, due to the vigilance of the Gotei 13."

"So…these things're comin' from here?"

"Initially, that was my hypothesis. But there is no correlation between the number of deaths in Rukongai and the amount of infesting Hollows. However, upon further inspection…" He stabbed one key on the console, and several charts covered in blue dots and numbers blipped onto the large screen. "Do you know what this is?"

"Um, connect the dots to find the answer?"

Kurotsuchi shot him a scandalized look. "_This _is a visual representation of the different reishi signatures from the World of the Living, Hueco Mundo, Rukongai, and Seireitei. But, notice how the signature from Rukongai," He pointed. "differs from the signature of Seireitei."

Indeed, the two images were different, if only slightly. The blue points of light on the Rukongai signature were a duller, deeper shade of sapphire, while the Seireitei's dots were brighter, almost electric blue.

"The different colors of the points represent the amount of Spiritual Pressure found in each area. I doubt even you're dumb enough to warrant an explanation as to _why…_" the clown-faced captain narrowed his eyes. "Nonetheless, I compared the two signatures with the one found in the Hollow sample, and…" Two more images popped up, replacing the others. One was clearly of the Seireitei signature, and the other, the reishi manifestation from the Hollow. The two pictures were nearly identical. "Do you see? These Hollows are being formed not in the Rukon, but here, amongst the Gotei 13."

"Someone's makin' Hollows in Seireitei?"

"Exactly," concluded Kurotsuchi. "And releasing them into the Rukongai," He pecked away on the keys several more times, and from a tray nearby, dozens of papers were spit out and stapled together. Nemu removed them from the machine, organized them a bit, and slipped the bound reports into several manila folders. "Here, Captain, the information you requested. Do me a favor; pass these reports out to the captains, would you? I hardly have the time."

Ichimaru took the stack of documents from Lieutenant Kurotsuchi with a slight "uf!" of surpise; they were heavier than expected. "Thank y' kindly, Cap'n Kurotsuchi. I'll get these bad boys handed out right away."

He was ignored by the scientist as he walked off, papers in hand, and a more wicked grin than usual on his face. From within one of his sleeves, he produced a silver Fixa pen; an invention of Research and Development, that allowed the user to correct errors in typed or written reports while maintaining neatness and the original font used. Clicking it, he eased one of the folders open, and got to work.

"Hollows in the Seireitei? My, my, Cap'n, what a ridiculous idea." His jeering laughs echoed off the stony walls.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sure you've probably already guessed who's behind the Hollow Crisis. And, if you haven't, well...er...<strong>

**The story's going to pick up now, so stay tuned. Only 5 more chapters to go!**

**Until next time~**


	13. Chapter 13: Designated

**Ch. 13 – Designated**

_November 17, Year One_

When Captain Kyoraku came to collect me this morning and told me we were going for an audience with the Head Captain, I just about shit a cinderblock.

And so we walked, for almost an hour, side by side, locked in tense silence. He was looking better; cleaner, more rested, and a lot less worked. But today, where there should have been a carefree, placid expression, was a look of somber acrimony and disdain for something of which I had no knowledge. No matter how much I pried, bugged, poked, he refused to give me so much as the time of day. So, I arrived at the ornate gate of the First terribly uninformed and scared out of my wits.

We were met in the courtyard by the immaculate Lieutenant Sasakibe. We were acknowledged with a brusque "Follow me, please", then led up flight after flight after flight of worn, lacquered stairs before coming to a stop in front of a pair of towering doors inscribed only with the character for 'one'. They swung open slowly, painstakingly, at Lieutenant Sasakibe's raised hand.

He took several steps in, bowed deeply, and announced us to Head Captain Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who waited just inside. There was a deep rumble of a voice from beyond my line of sight, and Sasakibe nodded to me.

"The Head Captain will see you now."

Kyoraku laid one of his familiar, heavy hands on my shoulder, patted it gently. "Remember to be nice to the Head Captain, Masami-chan. I'll wait out here," He smiled at me, but something about it seemed strained. "_Ganbatte._"

His helpful shove forward unstuck my feet that had reluctantly stapled themselves to the floor. Stiff-legged and close to being paralyzed with fear, I entered the office cautiously. The Lieutenant and I passed each other; he bowed again before exiting and easing the doors shut after.

I now stood mere meters away from the supreme commander of the Soul Reapers. With his steady, hawkish gaze fixed on me, I bent forward until the muscles in my legs and back screamed at me to stop. I was sweaty and hot all over, my hands clammy, my face burning like a thousand blue-white suns. After bowing for what felt like an eternity, the Head Captain finally spoke.

"Tenth Seat Kichida Masami of the Eighth Division."

Yikes. His voice was even scarier than his eyebrows. "Y-yes, Honorable Head Captain, sir."

"I will make this quick. In light of increasing Hollow infestation in the Rukongai and the declining number of troops properly equipped to handle it, I am hereby appointing you leader of Offensive Squadron 16 in the 51st District of Benigawa, South Rukongai. A hard copy of your formal orders will be delivered to your captain within the week. Do you have any questions?"

"None, sir."

"Good. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir."

As if on cue, the doors swung open once more and set me free from the intimidating office. Kyoraku had kept his promise; he waited patiently, with his arms crossed, just down the hall, leaning up against a wall nonchalantly. His eyebrow quirked up when I rushed from the office, mildly hyperventilating.

"That was certainly quick. How did it go?" he asked smoothly, stepping away from the wall to join me at my side.

Several deep breaths were required before I could safely speak again. "I…I am going to lead an offense in Benigawa."

He was quiet for a moment. "I know. I heard."

"Then why did you _ask?_" my voice cracked a little bit, and I felt as if I might cry. Suddenly, I was very scared. I wasn't ready to lead my own team. I didn't _want _to go to South Rukongai and fight Hollows.

I wasn't ready to die yet.

Kyoraku sensed my distress, countered it with a paternal slap on the back. "What would you say to tea and dango? I know a nice little shop down by the Fifth. My treat."

I sniffed and gave him a watery smile. "Yes, please, captain."

For the first time since my arrival at the Eighth, I felt truly close to my dirty slacker of a captain. And I was glad I didn't transfer, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm a little paranoid that Kyoraku seems out of character in this chapter...Ah, no matter. I guess it's just a family thing. But drop me a review if something is off. Or if you have kind words, because I love both :)<strong>

**We're almost there, folks! **


	14. Chapter 14: The Climax Begins

**Ch. 14 – The Climax Begins**

_January 2, Year Two_

As it was, we should have been at home, still celebrating the New Year with friends, family, and comrades. But instead, seven Soul Reapers and myself were huddled together in front of the gate of Seireitei while the snow fell like ashes around us. Despite the thick woolen socks, the cotton bandages wrapped around our arms and hands for insulation, and the heavy, winter _shihakusho_, we were freezing and unhappy; just about the sorriest looking OffSquad there ever was. Everyone began to mill around again in anxiety. I broke away from the group, scanning the grey-white horizon for the approaching platoon from the Thirteenth Division.

Let me explain. Head Captain Yamamoto had specified in his orders that I was to lead a team of sixteen Soul Reapers into Benigawa to the South and, quickly and efficiently, dispose of as many Hollows as possible, then return. But, as the Eighth Division had long since deployed almost all of its available troops, I was only to collect seven of my own men for the job. The rest would be supplied by the Thirteenth. I didn't like the idea of us getting shared and traded around as if we were just sacks of rice, but I wasn't content with putting the rest of my Division in danger, either.

I sighed, pulling the soft purple scarf closer to my face. It was Nanao's; she'd graciously given it to me before I took my leave. I'm thinking she feels a little guilty for sending a cute little girl into the Hell of battle, but I might just be kidding myself. The captain had been a little less personal. He messed up my hair, wished me good luck, and offered to share a drink beforehand. I smacked him in the head, mostly because he shouldn't be tempting children with alcohol, but a little because I didn't want him to see I was about to cry again. I was, and am, still morbidly anticipating my own death.

A black-robed procession formed ink-like dots in the distance, and those dots then became the eight Soul Reapers we'd been waiting for. Squinting, I saw that they, too, bore the same sullen expressions as my own group did, and walked with an air of dark disdain for whatever laid beyond the wall. At the head of the convoy marched a shockingly familiar face, one I could still recognize without an elegant silk kimono and a Zanpakuto on her hip.

She ducked her head in an informal apology. "Please forgive our lateness. We had not intended for the prerequisites to take so long."

"It's alright. We only recently got here," I lied. We had been here for nearly a half-hour. "You…You are Kuchiki Rukia, aren't you?"

One eyebrow arched with surprise. "Yes, I am. You are very familiar. Have we met?"

"This September, at your older brother's autumn party. I'm Kichida Masami."

There was the faint ghost of a polite smile on her lips. "Yes, I remember now," She surveyed the half-dozen frozen Soul Reapers shivering behind me. "This is your platoon?"

"Yes," I nodded, touching a finger to the strip of pink cloth tied to my left arm. It served to distinguish me as the Squadron leader. Most likely so they could spit on my dead body when I got everyone accidently killed…

Good God, am I morbid.

"Are you ready to move out, Kuchiki-san?" I continued, my inner-Masami smacking away the terrible thoughts with a paper fan. Rukia nodded, and fell into step beside me as we walked to the gate.

It felt like more like a death march to me.

* * *

><p>Around an hour later, our squad of sixteen passed under the broken sign that once read "BENIGAWA" in pristine, red lettering. I could feel the slimy Spiritual pressure of the Hollows beneath my skin, and with the air saturated in their foul, decaying stench, I was tempted to vomit.<p>

"You have not experienced this many Hollows in one place before," she stated, picking up on my discomfort.

"N-no…The number of Hollows I've encountered could fit on the back of a postage stamp, to tell you the truth," I admitted sheepishly, tugging on my sleeves as I was wont to do when nervous.

The raven haired girl let out a soft sigh. "You will grow used to it in time. And," she lowered her voice, bringing her head close to my ear. "Do not let your men see you in fear. You are young. You are small. You require their respect and trust more than anything now."

"Yes, ma'am," I whispered back, half in awe and feeling quite stupid.

"No," she winced. "Do not call me 'ma'am'. _You _wear the pink armband, not me."

I wasn't sure if she realized how foolish the pink armband sounded, but I left it alone anyway. She had a point. Obviously I was elected as a leader for _some _reason. I just needed to find out what it was.

"Uh, okay. We'll need to search the area for victims and survivors. And Hollows. We'll split up into groups of four, and take the cardinal directions. Sakata, Kobayashi, Ito, Kawano, you take the east. Takaki, Ohayashi, Saito, and…" We were one man short, and I didn't know any of the names of those from the Thirteenth. And I sure as hell wasn't going to give up Rukia; she was the only one who knew what the hell she was doing!

"Miuratsu. You go too," Speak of the devil, she jumped right in, pointing at a brown-haired woman with a pastel scarf. "Shimura, Hijikata, Tanuma, Sakamoto, west. Iishi, Aoki, Yamazaki, Matsuto, take the south. Sasaki, Katsura…you will be with Kichida-san and I, covering the north."

I shot her a brief look of pure admiration. "Do you all understand your places? Good. Move out!"

They all took off in shunpo like black bats out of hell, scattering every which-way in orderly quartets. That left the Rukia and me with the two Soul Reapers from the Thirteenth. Sasaki and Katsura, those were their names. Though who was who, I still had no clue. As I opened my mouth to relay a basic battle plan, a Hollow roared nearby, sending shivers down my spine like none I'd ever felt before or since.

"A Hollow. Position: about 340 meters to the northeast," Rukia tabulated, pointing with a gloved finger.

"We…we should probably go take care of that, right?"

"Yes. Because that is our directive," Rukia stepped back, putting me at the head of the group. "After you, Kichida."

We took off in a steady shunpo in the direction of the masked bastards we were here to destroy. And while I busied myself with trying to prevent my own stroke, I briefly pondered if this was my one-shot chance at redemption.

* * *

><p>By the time we arrived, one Hollow had been cubed into three Hollows, all decimating buildings and slapping trees in half like twigs. They were terrifying beasts; one had the face of a pig, the second, a weasel, and the third was the most horrific of all. Its body was a constantly writhing mass of blackness, its Hollow hole migrating all over the place in a sick display. It had no distinct limbs or bone structure, from what I could see, other than the white mask on its face; arguably the worst aspect of all. It lacked a visible mouth. Save for the two empty black holes that were its eyes, the mask was barren. And it stood still. It didn't weave and bob like its companions. It stayed in one place, never rocking to and fro, never making a sound. Until it locked eyes with me and charged.<p>

"Spread out!" I screamed, ducking out of the way as the monster dove over top of me and into the broken shell of a hut. I had just enough time to pull my blade free from the scabbard and swing it upwards before it recovered and leapt again. I felt its edge cut into the Hollow's black body, but where there should have been blood and an open wound, there was what looked like a rip in fabric, with nothing lying beneath it.

And then something shot out of that rip. Like a bony white lance, it tore through the air with a hiss and cut deeply into my left thigh. The pain was indescribable. I slipped on the muddy, snow-dampened ground as I attempted a feeble shunpo away and out of its line of fire. I took up a new position several meters behind my opponent, and inspected the wound on my leg.

The adrenaline kicked in, and the shock overtook my thought process. Through the rip on my hakama, I could clearly distinguish the torn muscles several centimeters in. There was a chunk of white amongst the bleeding red muscles, and I knew right away that it was my femur. It should have bothered me. _Seriously _bothered me. Thrown me into a screaming fit of psychological breakdown. But, it didn't, and I remained alert enough to fly out of the way of another full Hollow body slam.

Maybe it was the shock, or the adrenaline rush, or just the frenzy of the fight, but all I can clearly remember from the following minutes comes in brief flashes and clips, like a broken movie reel. I called out my Zanpakuto, screamed out a few kido curses at it, and in the midst of everything, realized I needed to go for the head, or I'd be killed.

It's fuzzy, but I recall ducking under another bone lance and catching a glimpse of Rukia cleanly decapitating the weasel-faced Hollow, and Katsura still struggling with the pig-headed beast. I don't know what happened to Sasaki. I looked up, and I was under the Hollow's long, skinny neck. I leapt up, and brought my Zanpakuto with me in an arc that _should _have been the clean uppercut that split the Hollow's mask in two.

I am still unsure of how I missed.

The tip of my sword nicked spot on the Hollow's throat. _On its throat_. In the spot directly across from where I was held suspended in the air, trapped by the momentum of my own attack.

Next thing I knew, I was speared like a shish kabob right through the chest, somewhere between my breasts and my gut, and my sword clattered to the muddy ground with a splat, and somewhere to my left, Rukia yelled "KICHIDA!", and everything faded out into black…

And I knew I had just died.

* * *

><p><strong>For the second half of this chapter, in which Masami is fighting the Hollow, the writing style changes and becomes more choppy, awkward, and pretty vague. But I did that on purpose, because I wanted it to sound like it was coming from the perspective of someone scared-shitless and locked in a death match with something exponentially stronger. Yeah, Ma-chan's no fighter.<strong>

**But this isn't the end yet, and there are more pseudo surprises abound. Sorry, this chapter was a little rushed, and therefore pretty sloppy, but hell, I'm no Hemmingway. **

**In the meantime, keep reading, and for the love of all that is holy, revieww. Because they are special. And a shout-out for those faithful few that do :)**


	15. Chapter 15: And It All Falls Apart

**Ch. 15 – And It All Falls Apart**

First thought: Heaven looks a lot like a hospital.

Second thought: Are you retarded? You clearly aren't dead yet.

Third thought: The fuck just happened?

My second thought was right; I was still alive, if not just barely. Through fleeting moments of semi-consciousness, I deduced that I had been taken from Benigawa to the Fourth Division Medical center after being skewered like yakitori. That would explain the voices, and the extra-strength sedative that turned the brief views of my world into an amusement park.

The white walls and the white ceiling with the white lights starting dimming again, deepening all the way until they turned blacker than pitch. And things were quiet again.

* * *

><p><em>Much Later<em>

I have no idea what day it is, what hour it is, or how long I've been out. A day? A week? Or a century? Not knowing is frightening; I can hardly remember why I've wound up here in the first place. However, the one thing I _am _fully aware of is how much my entire everything hurts. Really, really super-duper bad.

The calm, focused face of a woman with braided hair swam in and out of my view as she leaned over me, fussing with bandages and the hundreds of IVs that had been jabbed into my veins. I wanted answers from her. I wanted to know. I opened my dry mouth and gave a feeble attempt at speech that simply came out as a garbled moaning sound. The woman pulled back with a startled little _hm?_, giving me a strange, mildly surprised look. I saw that she had on a white haori, and realized that it was Captain Unohana taking care of me.

"Well, hello," she smiled kindly. I felt someone tug at the bandages on my wounded leg and winced at the pins-and-needles sensation that painfully tingled all the way down to my toes. The drug-induced fog shrouding my brain was slowly receding, and within the span of a few minutes, I was able to properly regain my speech.

Captain Unohana was adjusting something off to my left, and I tried, with all my might, to move my arm. The fruits of my labor were rewarded when my cold, numbed fingertips brushed lightly against her wrist. It was faint, but enough to get her attention. As she focused her patient gaze upon me, I forced out the very first thing that came to mind.

"How….bad?"

She re-adjusted a fluid bag hooked to one of the many IVs. "On the bright side, you should thank the gods you managed to live. You took a nasty wound to the chest; it punctured the bottom of your right lung, barely missing your stomach. By the time the medics got to you, you had accumulated so much fluid from that puncture, we were almost sure you would suffocate within before something could be done. A transfusion was needed to replace the amount of blood you've lost. And, on top of all that, your leg was nearly severed. Yes, you will be fine now; however, it will be a very slow, diffucult road to recovery," She finished her report with a sigh, then turned away, calling to her unseen lieutenant. "Isane, please have a glass of water brought to this room."

Just before she left the room, I managed to croak out again, "How long…been out?"

"A little over four days," When she pivoted to look over her shoulder, the arsenic-laced smile she gave me almost caused me to flat-line out of fear. "Now, do be a good patient and get some rest."

If I had been able to nod, I would have. But, with limbs of marshmallows and muscles the consistency of jelly, I foresaw that I would not be doing much of anything for a while. I let out a resigned sigh, whimpered at the pain in my chest, and fell back into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p><em>In two days' time<em>

On day number whatever, I awoke up to a vase filled with fresh, red roses and picked up on several familiar voices communicating in hushed tones throughout my tiny room. Lieutenant Isane was recording my vitals onto a clipboard, while Captain Unohana concluded a healing kido upon my leg.

"Oh!," Isane exclaimed with a small start when she saw my eyelids flutter open. "Good evening."

"Ca' I sit up?" I mumbled out. My back was starting to ache dully from the constant lying down.

She nodded. One large hassle later, I had propped up against the backboard of the bed, smiling like a fool because boy, was I happy.

Because, sitting in a semi-circle around the foot of my bed, were my Captain, Lieutenant Ise, Katsumi, Rukia, and, to my pleasant surprise, my mother.

"Well would you look at that, it's alive!" joked Kyoraku, a wide grin on his face. My visitors chuckled lightly, but there was an air of relief about it. There were so many things I needed to say to these people, all of them, and I wasn't so sure of where to start. So many apologies, in so little time before I sunk back into a state of comatose.

"Cap'n," I began, twisting my fingers up nervously in my blanket. "Please f'rgive me f'r failing m' mission." My words were still heavily slurred, and with a tongue as thick and lame as mine at the moment, it was challenge to force the words out. "It w's uncall'd f'r."

He sighed and waved a hand. "Work should be the last thing you're worrying about at the moment. I'd be a little more concerned with not _dying, _if I were you, Masami-chan."

I acknowledged him with a nod. "Loo-ten't Ise, 'm sorry for ru'ning your scarf. I think I got blood all ov'r it."

"Please, it's of no concern. I hardly wore it anyway; it's easily replaceable."

"Kats'mi," I rounded on my pale friend with sleepless raccoon eyes. "Sorry for gett'n speared 'n stuck in th' hosp'tal."

"Hey, shut up," she said, her lips curling up into a shaky, almost tearful smile. "I'll just beat your ass once you get better. Gives you somethin' to look forward to later."

"Kuch'ki-san, I'm sorry f'r bein' a bad leader. Shoulda been more caref'l, watched what I was doin'…"

"No, no, it is alright. Please do not take responsibility for that over which you had no control. Besides, no one else was seriously harmed. Our objective has been completed; I have taken the liberty of drafting the formal report myself. It is over and done with." But the awkward way she held her left arm couldn't completely hide the swath of white bandages around her wrist that peeked out from the sleeve of her shihakusho. Again, the overwhelming guilt settled deep into my gut like a hunk of concrete.

Finally, there was but one person left. "And…hi, Moth'r…" And to my utter disbelief, Hinowa Kichida, the stoic woman in the bamboo-printed teal kimono with the reputation of being mercilessly serious, stood up from her chair, swished across the room to the side of my bed, took me gently by the head, and cradled me warmly against her chest.

"My baby…my dearest daughter, look at the mess you've gotten yourself into now. You're-you are all bandaged up. My poor baby…" she crooned sadly, stroking my hair in a rare moment of maternal love that she was so stingy about displaying. Here, the tears I'd been trying so hard to hold back poured down my cheeks and onto her kimono like tiny little rivers. I pushed my face deeper into the soft silk, into the familiar scent of home.

"Momma…"

I'm glad I chose not to die.

XXX

Hanataro poked his head through the canvas curtain that halved the room and meekly reminded us that the visiting period expired in an hour. There was no clock in the room, but Nanao informed us, in a slightly astonished tone, that they had been there for nearly four hours. Rukia had long since departed with a sincerest good wishes, while Katsumi, by now, looked ready to topple out of her chair and hibernate for the next week. My mother now sat at my bedside, holding one of my hands tightly in both of hers, shooting daggers at the various nurses that scuttled in and out of the room.

"I guess that's their polite way of kicking us out," Kyoraku sighed, getting to his feet with a grunt. He stretched his arms high over his head. "It feels to me like we've only been here an hour or so."

"I agree," Nanao replied, and she too stood and stretched. "I was completely unaware of the time. Eighth Seat Okamoto, are you alright?" She narrowed her eyes at Katsumi, who was presently bobbing dangerously forward in a sleep-deprived state of absence.

"Eh?" she snorted. The Lieutenant's sharp tongue had half-snapped her out of the daze. "Who'za what now?"

"Visiting hours are over. We're returning."

"'F you say so, ma'am," She lurched haphazardly to her feet. "Bye, Moo-chan. I mean, Mark-chan, I mean…wait, where're we, again?"

"Er, Captain Kyoraku, please make sure she gets back safely, would you?" I begged my captain, shuddering at the thought of a disoriented Katsumi running loose in the Seireitei.

"I, uh, I will. Come on, Okamoto-chan, _this _way…" he sighed, putting a hand to her shoulder and guiding her to the door. Beside me, my mother raised an eyebrow.

"That's the Katsumi girl you spoke of?"

"Um, yeah…but she's kinda tired and stuff…" I defended weakly. There wasn't much I could say for her at the moment.

"I see," She placed a kiss to my brow and embraced me one last time. "I am going to bid them good evening; I'll take full advantage of the remaining hour I have left before they dismiss me for the night."

"Mother, please. You need t' get some sleep, or you'll look like Kats'mi."

"Nonsense, Masami. I am not a child." She sashayed from the room in a quiet rustle of fabric and click of geta shoes.

* * *

><p><em>Outside <em>

"Shunsui. A moment." Hinowa called as she slid the door to her daughter's room closed. The retreating party halted, and the man in vibrant pink glanced over his shoulder, around which one of Katsumi's arms was slung.

"You rang, Hinowa-chan?" he grinned habitually. The soft taps of their straw sandals as they backtracked were the only sounds in the hall.

"I've told you not to call me that anymore," she snapped. "This is a formal matter of business."

Kyoraku slid his subordinate's limp arm off his shoulder and gestured for Nanao to keep her on her feet. "And this matter would be…?"

There was fire in Hinowa's amber eyes as she straightened her posture, clenched her hands at her side, and spoke with stony clarity. "Remove Masami from the seated ranks of the Eighth Division."

The jaws of the attendants dropped (save for Katsumi's, whose dropped for a different reason) at the request. Nanao began to voice her retaliation, while Kyoraku asked for reconsideration. And, in the room all but two meters away, Masami Kichida bit her hand to stifle the anguished sobs as her life continued to fall apart.

* * *

><p><strong>Yikes. I tell you what, this story seems to keep dragging on and on. It makes it difficult to write. But, have no fear, only one chapter and an epilogue remaining!<strong>

**Kudos to reviewers and favoriters and all that jazz, as always.**


	16. Chapter 16: Take a Step Back To the Past

**Ch. 16 – Take a Step Back to the Past**

My mother slipped back into the room in near-silence a handful of minutes later. The curtain around my bed split open again, and she passed through it with an innocent, kind smile. It filled me with a terrible disgust.

"They all send their best wishes and promise to visit tomorrow. Would you like me to fetch you something while I'm up? They have snacks in the-"

"How _could _you?" I hissed out tearfully, voice laden with hurt. The uncharacteristically stunned look that crossed her face was pleasing. Darkly, I wanted her to hurt. I wanted to wipe that smug, knowing, 'I never did any harm' look off of her face. "How could you _do _this to me?"

Back again was the look of stony indifference I'd grown up with. "Masami, I do not know what you're talking about."

I beat my fists into the soft padded mattress, feeling the tug of the stitches on my chest but not caring enough to relax. "You didn't think I couldn't hear what you said out there? You told Captain Kyoraku to remove me from a seated position, didn't you? I am not an idiot, Mother!" By now, my voice had raised to a scratchy shout. And still, she stood there in blank silence. "Answer me, Mother! How could you?"

"I'll thank you again not to take that tone of voice with me. I will explain myself once you have calmed yourself enough to speak with an even tone. Am I understood?"

I sniffed harshly and dabbed my eyes with the corner of my blanket. "What explanation could you possibly give to me that would justify what you've done?"

Now she looked weary, uncertain, and for a second, despairing. She pulled a chair to the side of my bed and sat herself down neatly on it, hands folded evenly in her lap. There was a long period of tense silence before she spoke again. "May I speak now?"

"Fine," I snarled. "I'll humor you."

There was a deep breath on her part. "Masami, do you recall your father?" she asked in a soft voice.

"You mean the scumbag that left us after I was born? That's what you told me."

"He…he never abandoned us. At least, not in the way you believe."

The hands that had been squeezing the coarse cotton of the sheets went slack. "What are you…talking about?"

"Your father was…I convinced you that he left us because I…you see…" she tripped over her own words, her hands cutting through the air randomly, as if she was trying to make a point only she understood. "Perhaps I should go back further, to explain everything."

I was so confused my head was spinning, and this time it wasn't the drugs. "Mother, you aren't making any sense. What do you mean, Dad didn't leave us? You told me, every time I asked, that Dad hit the road right after I was born."

"That's because…I haven't always been completely honest with you, daughter. And I apologize for it. You see, this is a tale that begins nearly one hundred years ago, right here in Seireitei…."

* * *

><p>Hinowa's flashback<p>

93 years ago…

_When I was younger, a bit older than your friend, Katsumi, I left my home in Nurari and began attending classes at the Soul Reaper Academy. I had no talent in martial arts, or kenjutsu, but as it turns out, I possessed quite the knack for kido, and excelled through my studies at the top of my class. And by the end of my second year, I was being scouted for a position in the Fourth Division as a medic. I was happy, I was successful…_

_And I was in love. _

_You see, there was a certain Soul Reaper that I had my eye on. His name was Kichida Tatsuya, Third Seat of the Eighth Divison under Shunsui. Now, Shunsui and I are cousins of a sort; my mother was the mistress of his uncle or something of the sort, and I was born as the love child between them. But, however ridiculous your captain-uncle may seem to you, dear, please don't think of him as a bad person. He has a kind soul. In fact, he was the one who urged me into attending school. _

_Shunsui and I maintained a friendly, familial relationship throughout my time in school. His friend, Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth Division, acted briefly as my swordsmanship teacher, but alas it was a lost cause. _

_Oh, right, your father. I met Tatsuya on a visit to the Eighth Division, in Shunsui's company. As you can imagine, one thing led to another, and I found myself deeply in love with the man. He promised me that we'd make a future together someday, and at his urging, I dropped out of school in order to be a housewife. _

_I took a job as a hostess in an up-scale club in town, and, after nearly two decades, we'd saved enough funds to afford a relatively lavish wedding right there in the courtyard of the Eighth Division. We were so happy together; it felt as if nothing at all could go wrong in our life._

_However, things started changing when I couldn't conceive a child. Your father and I were brokenhearted; I feared that I would remain barren, and I feared that I would lose Tatsuya's love. Fortunately, we were struck with a miracle, and I became pregnant with you. Shunsui gave Tatsuya considerable time off every few weeks or so to prepare things. He would stay out in the yard for hours building by hand a crib out of the maple tree he cut down himself. He would sit by my side and try to help stitch your blankets and tiny kimonos. He was the one who wove your very first pair of straw sandals, all by himself. _

_I had a hard time convincing him to leave you home with me. The crazy man was wont to tying you to the front of his _shihakusho _and carrying you off to work with him. The two of us would show you off to the entire Eighth Division; oh, you were just the most precious little thing. I remember, Shunsui used to put that ridiculous straw hat of his on your head and laugh, as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever seen. Yes, he treated you well. _

_One day, shortly after you'd lived a full year and began to toddle around on shaky baby's legs, Tatsuya was sent out on patrol with nine other men from the Eighth Division. They lost communication after three days._

_On the fourth day, it was a dreadful day. Stormy, with dark clouds threatening to spill over with a cold, dismal rain. I refused to worry about my husband; I knew that patrols often stayed out of touch for days on end because far distances and lost Hell Butterflies. I expected him home within the week, and I cherished the thought of seeing his smile when he picked you up and tickled your nose again. But it was Shunsui instead who graced my doorway that day, looking sullen-faced and regretful. While you tugged and chewed on the strands of hair that escaped my chignon, daughter, Shunsui held out a hand and asked me to follow him to the Eighth Divison. My brain knew precisely what lay in store there, but my heart refused to accept the tragedy of it all._

_You were put in the care of Shunsui's lieutenant or someone of seated rank. I held tight to his arm as he escorted me to the depressive room where the pained weeping of widows howled out the door bitterly. And yes, there he was, a white shroud cast over his body, doing a poor job of masking the bright red blossom of blood on his chest. His platoon had been attacked, out of the blue, by a group of rogue Hollows. There were two survivors. _

_And so I watched you grow up on my own. I kept my past, and your father's past a secret from you, because I wanted you to stay a beautiful little fool forever. My only wish was to keep you as far away from the Gotei 13 as possible. I ceased communications with Shunsui and the friends I had made inside those giant, leering walls. I burned every scrap of clothing that hinted at what once was. I even went as far as to sell all of the books your father and I had collected over the years that so much as hinted at Seireitei. It was selfish, I know. But I didn't want my precious daughter dragged into the hazardous dynamics of the Soul Reaper lifestyle._

_I tried so hard to discourage you from enrolling at the Academy, darling. I wept myself to sleep for the first week you were gone. Yes, I was proud when I heard of your graduation, and yes I was proud again as you told me you'd been appointed to a seated position. I knew Shunsui would take good care of you, Masami, but I could not escape the persistent fear that I would have to bury my own daughter along with my husband. _

_And now, seeing you lay here in the infirmary after a brush with death, seeing those bandages wind down your leg and up your neck, and I can't help but feel…as though I've failed to protect you as a mother._

* * *

><p>My mother's tone was even as she finished her story, but her face was wet, streaked with tears that ran tracks through the discrete layer of powder on her face. The hands so neatly clasped in her lap were clenched so hard together that the knuckles had turned chalky white against the shimmering blue of her robes. And I, too, was crying. Sobbing, actually; all over myself. I had snot dripping, my eyes were all puffy, my cheeks were blotchy…yeah, and it wasn't a pretty sight.<p>

The sobbing woman in the blue, beautiful kimono turned to me with such a look of utter broken agony I about lost it then and there. Her mouth open and closed a few times, as if she couldn't form her lips around the right words. "I'm so sorry…Masami."

And then it hit me. It wasn't just my world that being turned upside down by everything. Everything my mother had worked so hard to rebuild up from the ground was crashing down around her feet again. _I _wasn't the only victim here. If I was almost dying on the outside, she was three steps away from the light at the end of the tunnel on the inside. Oh, god…I feel terrible.

I choked back another fierce sob and held out my hands. "C-come here, and…h-hug your kid," I blubbered. She wrapped me in the warmest embrace I'd ever experienced before, and we cried together.

If her world was going to fall to pieces, then I was going to hold her hand and build it back more beautiful than it had ever been before. I won't let her hurt alone alone this time.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow. Okay. That was, uh, definately the most emotional thing I've ever written before. So, that's the end to the real story, not counting a soon-to-follow epilogue, to be released sometime this week(end). <strong>

**Now all of you go and hug your mommas.**


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_March 12, Year Two_

"Cherry blossoms are always more beautiful in a group, I daresay."

Finally, I could fully agree with my captain. The fluttering pink petals that clustered on the branches and danced toward the ground _were _more enjoyable when surrounded by others.

It's been a full two months after my accident, and things are beginning to look bright once more. The road to rehabilitation hasn't been an easy one; there is still no firm guarantee that I'll be able to return to duty. It's eased somewhat by the crowd of loving supporters that surrounds me nowadays. And it's those same people I'm now huddled with together on a blue cotton blanket, amongst groves of flowering trees and fellow souls.

"How about another round?" Kyoraku offered, swishing the tall bottle of sake around in the air. From the redness in his complexion and the goofy smile on his face, I decided he didn't need anything more to drink, and so took the bottle from his hands, holding it captive at my side.

"No, captain, I think you've had enough. You've _all _had enough…" I swept a disapproving gaze over the rest of the pink-cheeked adults. There were six of us in all: Kyoraku, Ukitake, Nanao, Katsumi, myself, and of course, my mother.

"But-"

"Masami is right," my mother interrupted. "How many times have I told you to control yourself, Shunsui? From the very beginning."

"Ahh, don't be like that. We used to have drinks all the time! Remember, Hinowa-cha-ack!" He toppled over backwards with a strangled yelp. My mother, with her sandal held in one hand, turned vaguely pink.

"I've told you not to call me that, Shunsui!"

"Oh, please; what's a little friendliness between cousins?"

As they bickered back and forth, Nanao sighed and shook her head. "I sincerely have a hard time believing they're related."

"Yer tellin' me," Katsumi agreed with a nod. She sipped heartily from the small saucer of sake that had inexplicably manifested in her hand. "I can't believe even _Ma-chan_ is related to both'a them."

"Well, I mean I-_would you two shut up?" _I snapped at my bickering family members. Mother stopped trying to yank out the hair on Kyoraku's chin; he in turn ceased poking her in the nose. "You know what, never mind. I forgot what I was about to say." My sentence ended with a fit of coughing. In an instant, both my mother and Captain Ukitake were patting me on the back, Katsumi had an episode (_Oh holy Soul King, Ma-chan's gonna kick the bucket for real this time!_), and my no-good uncle waved a palm-sized cup in my face.

"Here y'go, drink this, and you'll feel be-" Nanao snatched the object from his hand and threw the alcoholic contents back in his face.

That was one of the downsides of my recovery. If I strained myself, the wound in my lung became agitated, sending me into a tizzy of vile hacking that may or may not end with spitting up a mouthful of blood. It was never pretty.

Ukitake offered me a handkerchief, which I took gratefully (it's nice to have someone else who knows what it's like), dabbing the bloodied corners of my mouth delicately. Someone passed me a ceramic jug of fresh water to ease the burning in my throat. It felt as if I were drinking God's tears.

"Er, sorry about that, everyone…" I apologized weakly. Katsumi met my apology by angrily throwing a fistful of sakura petals at me.

"You idjit! I almost hadda heart attack!" The thin veil of ire on her face just barely masked the look of deep concern.

"You're the fool. Fourth Seats shouldn't get worked up over a cough, Katsu-chan." That's right. Katsumi had since been promoted to Fourth Seat, following an "exemplary display of leadership and bravado" in Rukongai. She had picked up my slack back in Benigawa and, with her team of two dozen troops, effectively cleansed the area of Hollows. Last I heard, they were already re-moving in the evacuees and beginning reconstruction.

Which brings me back to the status of the Hollow crisis. Kurotsuchi from R & D managed to develop a sort of 'anti-Hollow pesticide' that kept them away from unaffected villages when sprayed. The pesticide was then used to force the Hollows back far enough that they could be easily dispatched by Soul Reapers. The most recent report speculated that the problem would be completely resolved within three more months.

The latest counts estimate the death toll at around 892, Soul Reapers and Rukongai citizens alike. Currently, no one has been arrested for the incident.

"Fourth Seat or no, it is not nice to throw flowers," Hinowa chided, picking the silky petals from my head with a frown.

"No, mother, please leave them. I like them where they are." She gave me a stunned look, but obeyed, leaving the flowers where they were, stuck amongst the strands of my straight, dark hair. The adults re-immersed themselves in easy conversation, however Katsumi wouldn't stop giving me a sidelong look. "What's wrong with you, you freak?" I asked, thoroughly weirded out.

"With all those cherry blossoms in your hair, I'm gonna call you Pink Supervisor*, okay?"

"Pink Supervisor? Dream on. I want to be Pink Captain, instead."

Suddenly, my mother butted in by patting me on the head. "Girls, please. I think she's much more suited to be Pink Idiot instead."

As my mother crossed her arms, the rest of us exchanged strange looks before bursting into collaboration of raucous laughter. So loud was it, neighboring bystanders stared at us with utter confusion and insolence, yet we paid them no mind. Another round of drinks was poured, and as a spring breeze ruffled the sleeves of our uniforms and sent the blossoms careening through the air, Nanao raised her dish in toast.

"To…Masami."

To my surprise, everyone, grinning widely, mirrored her. "To Masami."

I simpered at the saucer in my hand. A tiny pink flower petal dropped from my hair and disrupted the smooth surface of the drink. I held it up, amongst the smiling faces of my new family, entwining my fingers with my mother's hand.

"To me. Long live the Pink Idiot!"

There has never been a more perfect moment in my life.

_~owari_

* * *

><p><strong>And so, it concludes. I don't particularly like this ending, but meh. To be honest, this wasn't how this story was supposed to go at all, though I suppose this isn't so bad, either. Thank you, thank you to everyone that's read, favorited, story alert-ed, and especially reviewed, because without you, I probably would have abandoned this. Mwah! You're all amaaaazing, and I'll probably see you next time!<strong>

**_*'Pink Supervisor' is a reference to "Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei"*_**


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